Without Thought
by GETOUTOFMYBRAIN
Summary: Look in my eyes and tell me if what I say is the truth.
1. To be, or not

Drip. Drop. Drip. Drip…

Drop. He listened to this sound for hours, floating between consciousness and unconsciousness; the slow, steady, maddening sound of the water dripping from a crack in the dank ceiling, into a dark puddle, in an equally dark room. He sat there, shackled to the stone wall in this cramped prison. He had no idea how he got there, or why. All he knew were the harsh realities of this near-unbearable place. When he wasn't asleep, the starvation was overwhelming. When his stomach stopped hurting for awhile, the humidity made him uncomfortable. And when the humidity gave way at night, there was the dripping sound.

The ever-maddening dripping sound. Day and night, repetitive and unyielding- with every drop his sanity was tested. In here, there were very few ways to escape it.

One was sleep. He slept quite a lot, nearly all day. The only thing he didn't like about sleep was that he never dreamed. What felt like eons ago to him, he remembered dreaming about things. That was one of the few things he did remember right now- dreaming. He was fully aware that every day bits of his memory would fade. He'd think of something one day, and the next day he'd have no knowledge about what it was.

This man despised losing his memories like this. At first, it was minor things he lost, like what he ate the last time he ate, or the phone number of a friend. Then it escalated into who he was, who his friends and family were, until there was only a select few memories left. When he tried to remember the other things, they'd slip away into a blank. It was painful for him to see his life get fainter with every drip of the ceiling.

One of the two memories he hadn't lost yet was his name; it was a struggle, but eventually he remembered it again- Fox.

Fox McCloud. He liked the name, it was catchy. His name, for whatever reason, brought him happiness. In this prison, only one other thing brought him greater joy: the other memory. This memory was fading even faster than the first one. At one time, it was so vivid and real; but after the countless hours he spent in here, it was reduced to one image.

Fox knew there were at least ten people originally, but now all of them were blurs, except for one. He swore every time he closed his eyes, she was there- she was a fox, like him, but her fur was a pleasant blue instead of the brownish-red pigment of his. Every part of her was beautiful and radiant. In the memory, it looked like she was laughing. Fox didn't know who she was, or what she had to do with him, but there was something he did know: her laughter made him positively jovial. This memory brought him happiness. He wasn't about to give it up.

This memory made Fox happy in the sad little world he lived in. The last thing he wanted was for her to disappear like most of his other memories. Fox loved her- he loved her, and didn't even know her name. It was a cruel feeling; as if he was being ignored by his own mind.

He smiled bitterly. Chances are, the vixen was a random person, without any real significance in his former life.

Or maybe she was dead. Maybe he himself killed her- that'd explain why he was in here, he reasoned. It was the only rational explanation he could think of for being in here, and for the persistence of that one memory. If by some remote chance he did kill her…

Involuntarily, Fox started crying. His tears were silent; he didn't want to show any weakness to his captors. He hated being in here. He hated the fact that he had to pass out from starvation before he was fed. He hated the humidity, and how it made his dirty fur stick to his skin. He hated losing his memories, and wondering about his past life. But most of all….

Fox weakly turned his head towards the puddle. As he did so, a droplet fell into it. He looked at his reflection and became blinded by rage; he punched the bottom of the small pond with his free hand, with enough force to make a considerable dent in the tile that lined the floors. He punched and hit yelled, until he sent one last blow to the tile. The tile broke into pieces. Unfortunately, the weakened bones in his hand did too.

Pain. Excruciating, blinding pain in his hand; it was bloody, and messy. Fox saw a bone stick out of the top of his hand. He writhed in all his pain, and for the first time since he came to this place, he screamed at his captors at the top of his lungs, in a hoarse, parched voice.

"**KILL ME!!! I WANT TO DIE! PLEASE!**" Fox hung his head and howled,

"**STOP TORMENTING ME, YOU SICK FUCKS!!!**" Fox ran out of breath, and stopped yelling. He started to whimper softly.

"Please… just end me… What have I got to live for, anyway?" Fox leaned back, and closed his eyes. "I don't even know who I am now, for God's sakes…. Please…. "

"Please kill me."

In the Lylat System, there were many planets and stars, but few had the power of Corneria. That was where Fox McCloud was being held, and that was where his friends were searching. Fox's captors had planned this, and everything since McCloud's abduction, carefully. However, despite their insidious means, they themselves were not evil. They were just brothers, trying to make their dad proud.

It was just in their DNA. Speaking of which, two of Fox's three kidnappers were just putting the finishing touches on the next part of their plot.….

"How's it coming, Alex?" The youngest one asked inquisitively. He and his brothers were working hard on this. The inquisitive brother was an ape, just like his older, except he was a lot younger. But if they were the same age, people would think they were the same person; they looked almost exactly alike, right down to their brown eyes and white fur. Alex was a hard worker, and Ash (the little one) liked to help. Because all the hard work they had done up to this point had been put into this, it was hard not to be curious. The elder didn't respond.

"Alex?"

"What, huh? Oh, it's just you. Sorry, did you say something?"

"How's the experiment coming along?"

When Alex turned around, Ash stifled a giggle. His brother looked silly, wearing goggles. They didn't fit his face very well, but the pair was the only one around. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Ha-ha, yeah, laugh it up." Alex said sarcastically. He promptly turned back around to the work that needed to be done.

"You remember Dad, right?"

"Don't call him 'Dad'. I hate it when you do that! He's not our dad!" Ash fumed. Alex put down the test tubes he was holding, and knelled down to reach his brother's height.

"Sorry. I mean, do you remember…." Alex tried to find the right word. Ash found it for him.

"Andross?" Alex flinched, and stood back up. "Yeah, Andross. Ash, I know you don't like him, but can you please talk about him a bit more respectively? I mean," Alex put his hands together forcefully, causing a loud clap from the medical gloves he was wearing. "he did make us, after all, out of-"

"-Himself. Yeah, I know. He cloned himself a long time ago, and made Anthony. Anthony used Andross's DNA to make you, and then you guys made me."

Alex smiled, then his face turned blank. "I'm happy to hear that you were listening. But like I said before, do you remember him?" Ash frowned, and became lost in thought for a moment. Eventually, he shook his head.

"That's what I thought. He was a great man, Ash. But this man…." Alex bared his primate teeth, out of anger and shame. Every person in the Lylat System knew the stories of their family. "He killed him, Andrew, and Dash! He's a monster in disguise, Ash!" Alex pointed an accusatory finger at a nearby monitor. On it, the eldest of the brotherhood, Anthony, was treating Fox's broken hand while Fox was drugged. Alex was large and intimidating right now.

"HE TOOK THEM AWAY FROM US, ASH! I- I…." Alex broke down and slumped on the floor, a wreck of a person. Ash went to comfort him. While he didn't know Andross, Alex and Anthony were raised by him. The way they talked about him, he was the greatest thing God ever sculpted; it was frustrating to Ash at times like this, when he had no comforting words about their father. Truthfully, he wanted to meet him. Badly.

"Ok, the fox is ok now. In a little bit, he'll-"Anthony walked in the room. When he saw Alex, he understood what happened. His voice took on an irritated tone. "On your feet. We have things to do." Anthony walked over and took the goggles off of Alex and began working on what his brother was doing before the previous conversation. Alex got up too, and started helping. For hours, everyone was silent, until Anthony snapped the green gloves off of his hands, proud of what he accomplished.

"Behold, the fruits of our labor!" He held up a vial of transparent purplish water. Ash's face took on a surprised form.

"What is it?"

Anthony and Alex's faces were mirrored with joy. All the events in the last few hours were forgotten, for now. Alex was the first to pipe up.

"It's what we've been working so hard on, for all these months! Now we can finally proceed with the next step of the plan!"

"Which is….?"

Anthony chuckled. "We're going to give this to a very special someone, Ash." In the light, Anthony's face darkened with glee. "A very special someone indeed."


	2. Overcast

Above every living, and not so living thing in Corneria, the Star Fox team descended towards the only city on the planet; Corneria City. When Fox was around, he once commented on how whoever came up with the name didn't have much originality. Now that he wasn't around though, the city seemed much darker, and less cheerful. Even now, during the summer.

It was a real shame, especially in the eyes of those who had protected it numerous times before. But even they seemed a little darker. They didn't laugh much anymore, or smile. Fox was the one who usually made those little happy moments happen- now that he was gone, and nobody knew where he went, their lives were sadder.

Krystal was the first to break through the walls of clouds; the sky was surprisingly overcast today. She was also the first to break the silence. "So, what now?"

Falco raised an eyebrow through the com. link at Krystal. "We're about to dock our ships. Whaddya mean 'what now'?"

He could see her go red. "Fox wasn't there. On that planet…. Kew."

Falco's eyes narrowed. Not this again. "We're doing everything we can. Everyone is; Peppy, the military, even Star Wolf. We're all going as hard as we can. Just stay patient."

Krystal felt a bit of comfort in Falco's words. He was good at that- almost as good as Fox was. Of course, he needed to be lately, they all did. While it was no secret now that Fox was abducted, thanks to the media, the public thought that the search was going well.

It wasn't. Every planet in the system, to an extent, has been looked over, but no trace of Fox had been found. The latest tip said that he was seen on Kew; the crippled Star Fox team went there personally to check it out. From Peppy's excitement over the phone, it sounded like Fox was there. But, as they knew now, he wasn't. No one had seen him, or didn't want to say if they did. What a stupid planet.

Falco broke the silence, since Slippy wouldn't. "Krystal, we'll find him soon. Hey, for all we know, he's probably….." He didn't know what to say after that. And that sounded really awkward too.

"Probably. Yeah." Falco could see her disappointed expression over the video feed.

Silence after that; it stayed that way, for a long time. They didn't talk when their Arwings were safely in the landing bay, or when they all met up outside. But really, what do you say? 'Sorry we couldn't find him, better luck next time'? No, that wouldn't work, not this time. Fox was their leader, their friend, and a key player in the team. He took down the Anglars, he destroyed the Aparthoid Queen, and he defeated Andross. With the help of his team, and Wolf's, of course, but still….

What **do** you say in that situation?

Behind closed doors, Bill Grey consulted with the General. This wasn't just a military matter; it was a personal one too. His dark brown fur was dirty and ruffled- he just came straight from an unnamed planet near Titania. This search was really taking a toll on him; Peppy could tell. When he walked in, he sat politely in the chair across from the General- it completely contradicted his raspy, tired voice. "Hello, General Hare. It's always a pleasure."

Peppy looked up from his desk. He folded his arms. "What do you need, Grey? Do you have any news on the search?

Bill's eyes reflected his weariness. He cut straight to the point. "What now, sir? My team and I looked up and down that rock… We can't keep this up forever." In his darkly lit, but swanky General's Office, Peppy Hare sighed.

"I know we can't. But this is Fox we're talking about." Peppy shifted uncomfortably. "You probably knew him better than me. It's only fitting that you actually look for him while I just.... Sit here."

Bill looked at his superior with an astonished look. "Me? Compared to you, I barely knew him at all… You raised him with James McCloud; you helped him out when we were in Flight Academy…. Hell, you were a mercenary right by his side…" Bill realized his insubordinance. "Sir."

Peppy waved him off, and picked up some papers on his desk. It was Bill's file- it had everything anyone could ever need on the canine. "You've been here for quite some time, Bill. 10 years, as a matter of fact."

Bill started to sweat. "What about it, sir?"

"You've worked hard, son. Harder than I ever did to become a General…" Bill's eyes widened a bit now.

"Leader of three separate teams, the Retriever, Husky, and Rottie, despite your age. No one in this military's history has ever had someone as hardworking as you."

Bill swallowed, hard. "S-sir?" Peppy wasn't. Not at a time like this. He wouldn't dare.

"Yes, Bill?"

"It was wrong for me to come in here. I'll go back to searching for Fox." He turned to leave.

Peppy sighed again. "I'm sorry Bill, and you know how much it pains me, but…. I can't take it. He was a son to me- but it's your responsibility now-" Bill started to shake in the doorway, involuntarily.

"General Grey."

Those words shook both of them to the core; but Bill didn't turn around. Instead, he started for the door again. As he was leaving, before he closed the door, he turned his head at Peppy.

"Coward." Bill closed the door, nearly slamming it. Alone, Peppy put his hands on his head, and prayed for Fox's safety.

Bill stormed out of the room, intent on leaving for a little while, just to cool down. He needed a drink.

"Hey, wait! Squad Leader Grey!" Bill kept walking, but a paw on the shoulder stopped him. He looked over his shoulder.

"What? Oh…. Hello there, Lieutenant….." The Rottweiler saluted, and smiled, although Bill could sense he was just as tired as he was. Everyone who knew Chuck liked him; he was nice, cheerful, and always followed orders. He kept his paws clean- he was a good guy. Everyone who didn't know him was deathly afraid, though. He was intimidating. Half an ear blasted off, a scar over lining his face, a 7 foot figure, and enough muscle to take down about 4 wrestlers. Even people who liked him were a little afraid; but who could blame them?

"Sir, where are you going?"

"Bar. Wanna come?" Chuck shook his head.

"Nah, not today. But I'm sorry to say, but you can't go either."

Bill turned on his heel, and looked up to meet Chuck's gaze. "Why not, solider?"

"We're not allowed- no one is supposed to leave."

"By who's orders, Lieutenant?"

"General Hare, sir. No one gets in, no one gets out."

Chuck shrugged, and grinned nervously. "Sorry. Rules are rules."

Now Bill was even angrier. Peppy wasn't just a coward-

He fought dirty.


	3. Dream a Little Dream

Slippy was sitting on his bed in the Great Fox, working on one of many projects he had time to do. His room was unusually clean, save for some plans he had laid out. Despite everything that had happened recently, Slippy wanted to keep busy, to keep his mind off of Fox. He stopped tweaking the last nut on a small metallic cube in time to hear his door slide open.

"Hey, Slip! Whatcha doin'?"

"Oh nothing, it's ju-"Slippy looked away from what he was doing, finding himself in the presence of the one and only Fox McCloud. Instantly, his mind was clouded with an unhealthy mix of shock and excitement; he was sitting on his bed, but now he was standing up. Fox smiled happily. Tears were forming in both of their eyes. Slippy had missed Fox, and Fox had missed him, it seemed. Slippy couldn't hold back anymore.

"Fox! You're alive!" Slippy ran to hug him, but instead ran headfirst into a wall. He fell over, onto his rear.

"Ah…. What the…?" Slippy looked around, but Fox was gone- what just happened?

"SLIPPY! KRYSTAL! SOMEONE, HELP!" Slippy heard Falco's familiar voice screech, and quickly moved to the exit; but when he opened the door, he found himself suspended above the ground- chained to the ceiling of the next room. Colors started to fade, and meld together into a fantastic, but trippy scene; now he wasn't in the Great Fox, at least he thought so- it was a dark, dank, and really smelly room. Dirt and cobwebs, rats; everything essential for the basic torture chamber. It was hot now, as if Slippy had jumped into an oven- something told him he was underground. Everything had changed, except for one thing- Falco was still screaming.

Slippy shuddered. His wingmate's screams were piercing, and painful to hear; what was going on? Was Falco being tortured? Or worse… murdered? Where were they? Where was Krystal? And Fox? How did he get here…. Slippy's train of thought was stopped by Falco- his screams were fading into loud, gurgling sounds. Nearly unrecognizable.

Nearly. Slippy started tried to frantically escape this nightmare, but the chains were too hard to work. Slippy felt panic set in as he unsuccessfully attempted to free his wrists from their bindings.

_I've got to get out of here! What's going on?! I- _Slippy stopped thinking for a moment. The screaming had stopped, and the door near him had opened with an eerie creak. Silence, then footsteps against a stone floor, steady and echoing, revealing Fox- he was covered in bright red blood, and in his right hand he held Falco's arm.

It wasn't attached to Falco. Slippy's eyes widened in terror and horror as Fox's gaze slowly turned to him. Fox grinned ear to ear, and waved with Falco's limb. "Hey Slip."

"**AHH!**" Slippy sat upright, covered in sweat. He surveyed the room he was in. He was in a hotel room now, the one they rented for the night- he remembered that the Great Fox was out of commission, so they settled for this backwater place. In the bed adjacent was Falco, unaware and asleep. His snores would be considered obnoxious, if it weren't for Slippy's recent nightmare. Slippy quivered in fear in his bed. What a weird, and scary dream. Something about it shook him- he didn't know why, but this particular nightmare had some significance, and not just because it involved Fox, or himself. No, there was something deeply wrong this time. He didn't want to forget it.

Slippy turned over, fully awake now, to reach into his suitcase. He pulled out a sketchpad and a pencil to started drawing out that room he was in when he was dreaming- starting with a dark little puddle he had seen in the corner.

________________________________________________________________________________

"Hey….. Falco…… you there, Falco? Falco….." The avian looked around confusedly. What. The fuck. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep in the hotel bed- now he was in a big, unimaginably big room. He pinched his forehead between two fingers.

"I've got to lay off the weed, God dammit…." He finished the sentence with a chuckle. Yes, he wasn't above the influence of marijuana. No, he didn't care. But that didn't matter now, there were bigger problems already- starting with where the hell he was. He made a 360 degree look-around, and swore under his breath. There was nothing, literally. Everything was black, except for him. No one was there, except for him. Nothing existed, except for him.

"I wonder if I'm dead. Maybe all that pot finally got me." He closed his eyes, and started walking in a random direction. "It was Falco Lombardi, with the weed, in the bathtub! No? Hmmmm…." Now Falco stopped for a moment to take the time to listen. It wasn't totally silent now- something was coming. "What the hell…?"

In the blink of an eye, he wasn't in an inky blackness anymore- he was standing on subway train tracks. Miscellaneous graffiti was all over the place, even on the tracks. It was brighter, but still dark, and to top it all off, the train tracks were complete with an approaching train. Falco turned tail and ran as fast as he could; shit, this was bad. His legs started to feel like weights against him; the train tracks were vibrating as the train started getting ever closer.

Suddenly, Falco halted his escape. Time had stopped now, and the train was frozen where it was…. for now. He shook his head. "This is some trippy crap you're putting me through…." He whispered to nobody in particular. Curiosity overtook him as he walked towards the still train, instead of running away from it again. It looked old, and dirty. There wasn't anything special about this train- it was just there. For no real reason, it was there. Or, a better way to put it, Falco was there for no real reason.

He poked the subway train with a feathered finger. Nothing happened. He poked it again. Still nothing. Falco's face turned into one of playfulness as he started to climb onto the train. When he looked inside, at whoever was conducting this thing, he was shocked to see who it was; Team Star Fox. Fox at the helm, Krystal on the defense, Slippy and himself manning the guns…. Wait a minute.

Falco wasn't hanging off of the Subway train now- stupid drug trip, or dream, or hallucination must've morphed when he wasn't looking. He was hanging off of the Great Fox. Oh well, nothing he could do about it now. Clinging to the front of the mighty ship, helpless, Falco closed his eyes and allowed himself to be taken away by whatever the hell was about to happen.

"**Murph-ump!**" A pillow collided with his face. His eyes slowly opened against the harsh morning light.

"Falco, get up. Slippy, how long have you been awake?" Krystal's bluntness was irritating, and as she talked to Slippy, Falco's temper flared a bit. Even being flung into space was better than getting up at this ungodly hour. He sat up slowly, and rubbed his eyes with one hand, and pulled up his boxers with another.

"…Ugh…. Krystal, what time is it?"

"10AM. Time to get up." Falco shuddered.

10AM. What an ungodly hour. Falco cracked his neck, and got out of bed. He trudged over to sit on Slippy's bunk, and heard tidbits of their conversation.

"I had the weirdest dream…." Falco said absently. Slippy looked at him with a surprised look.

"Really? Me too! What was your's about? Huh? Slippy leaned in close. Falco shot him a glare.

"Never mind…. Where's breakfast?"

Krystal looked at Falco angrily for a moment, then relaxed her face. "It's getting delivered."

"By who, room service?"

"Nope. You see, Star Wolf was in the area, and you know how Panther gets….. So…."

Falco was already up. He punched a nearby dresser, leaving a small indent. Then he moved to a trenchcoat he had in his suitcase, conveniently placed next to his bed. The whole time, his anger was extremely prevalent, even to Slippy. Both of them knew what was coming.

"I'm out of here."

"Oh, c'mon Falco! I know you and Leon don't get along that well, but… Huh?"

"Slippy. Stop…. Falco and Leon had a bumpy past together. There's no need to-" Krystal started choking on her words when Falco approached so quickly. His anger had turned to an all out, but silent rage. Before she, or Slippy could think, he was in her face, with a tight grip on her muzzle. She whimpered mercifully.

"Don't. Ever. Go probing in my mind about Leon again." Krystal didn't respond. Falco's anger was directly harming her mind's eye. She felt herself getting dizzy.

Falco stood up, and turned to leave. He wanted to be anywhere, anywhere but here right now. He had gotten his point across. Before he left, he looked back at Krystal and Slippy. Krystal looked positively pitiful, and Slippy looked like a confused little kid.

"Oh yeah, and don't wake me up by throwing a fucking pillow in my face. It's annoying." With that, he left. He slammed the hotel door behind him.

________________________________________________________________________________


	4. Addicted, Corrupted

"It's pretty early to be in here, bud."

Bill looked up from his glass, and glared at the bartender. The cougar was bathed in the brownish color of the lights in the bar, along with the reflections of the various drinks behind him, in a fancy glass cabinet. He was wearing a white T-shirt, with torn jeans. Looked pretty buff, too. He must've worked out, when he wasn't here. Not that it mattered; Bill was sure that he could kick his ass, if necessary.

"So? It's not like you care. Just keep the whiskey running, all right?" Bill was in no mood for an argument. He wasn't even really drunk yet. Only slightly buzzed.

The bartender tilted his head. When he spoke, he flicked his ears back and forth. "Yeah, yeah. I've heard it before….. What's the matter?"

Bill didn't answer him. He didn't want to explain how he'd be running every major military operation on the planet pretty soon to this guy. Besides, someone else was coming into the otherwise empty bar.

The bartender smiled, and greeted the new customer. Bill was forgotten for the next few minutes, until the new guy started looking at him strangely. Bill glanced in his direction.

"Yes?"

"Don't I know you? You look familiar…." The customer was an avian, with ruffled blue feathers. His eyes were surrounded by red markings. Bill noticed that his eyes were reddish, like they were irritated by something, or he hadn't slept in about a week. Bill vaguely recognized him, but the alcohol in his system made it hard to.

"Sorry, I don't think so."

"No, I know I know you from somewhere….." The bird's faced wrinkled with thought.

"Bill?"

"That's my name, I think." Bill downed some of his whiskey, emptying the glass. He signaled the bartender for more.

The avian turned back to the beer he was holding. He smiled a little. "Haven't seen you in a while. Anything new?"

Bill leaned back in his chair. Behind his fur, patches of red were forming on his cheeks. "Where do you know me from?"

The bird frowned. "We went to Flight Academy together."

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"I worked with Fox?"

Bill lowered his eyes to his drink, deep in drunken thought. When he was smashed, he wasn't the best with faces. "You look familiar, but I don't know. I've got a bad memory when I'm drunk." At the end of sentence, Bill hiccupped a little. The blue bird laughed cheerfully.

"Never mind then, I guess. Maybe I saw you in the newspaper or something." Deep down, Falco felt a twinge of sadness. He wanted to know how the search for Fox was going, but Bill didn't seem sober enough to care. Whatever, it wasn't like he came for information. It was just a coincidence that his old friend was here anyway.

"Oy, Frankie!" The cougar looked up from a glass he was cleaning. He grinned toothily. "I was wondering when you'd stop making conversation. C'mere, Falco. I've got what you called for."

The avian got up, and followed the bartender into an unmarked door behind the counter. Bill looked in every direction. It was kinda lonely in here. He shakily stood up, and looked at the door behind the counter. Stumbling, laughing a little, and after ten minutes, Bill made it to the door. What could be behind there that the other guy called ahead for? What did the bartender call him…..? Falco?

Bill slapped his head, laughing his ass off. How could he forget! He was so stupid sometimes! Falco Lombardi, ace pilot, buddy from Flight Academy, along with Slippy Toad and Fox McCloud. Duh, what was he thinking? Oh….

Crap, he was too drunk to recognize him before. The next conversation would be awkward, to say the least. Falco probably felt bad….. Bill felt kinda guilty now.

_I need to lay off the alcohol. . . How the hell do you forget one of your closest friends?_

Bill sighed, and rubbed the side of his face with his paw.

_Not seeing them for a year helps._

But, back to the situation at hand; he wanted to know what was behind this stupid door.

A little voice told him not to open the door. His instincts were driving against it. His gut told him to get some more to drink while the bartender was gone. Bill shrugged off everything, and started to open the door anyway. What's the worst that could happen?

"Hello? Bartender? I need more to drink….." Bill looked around the room. It was pretty dark, with boxes and crates everywhere. The walls and ceiling were a dirty white, and the floors were concrete. In the corner, Bill heard the bartender's voice chuckling about something or another.

"Hello?"

The furry brown head of Frankie the bartender popped up from behind a crate. His face wasn't the happiest, but he sounded fine when he started talking.

"Yeah?"

"Whatcha doin'?"

The cougar stood up, and walked casually over to Bill. He put his arm around his shoulder and smiled. "You want to see?"

Bill didn't see why not. He nodded, and was lead by the bartender around all the boxes to the corner he was in before. The avian was there, too; his expression was oddly blank, but happy. It wasn't a normal expression for a person to be wearing. Bill raised an eyebrow. "What happened to him?"

"I gave him what he wanted, that's all."

Bill narrowed his eyes so he could see. There was a small leather case near Falco that didn't seem to belong there. By now, most would know exactly what Falco wanted, but Bill couldn't connect the dots. He pointed at it shakily. "Is….. is that what he wanted?"

The feline smiled and patted Bill on the back, lowering him to his knees. He moved to the briefcase. "Wanna see? If you see, you can't tell anyone…."

Bill shrugged. "Just show me already."

"You sure?"

Bill rolled his eyes. "Mm-hmm."

Frankie clicked the lock off of the case with the world's biggest grin. "You asked."

The case was opened: Hypodermic needles, bags of cocaine, and pharmacy pills. Lots of it. All of it was aligned neatly with care, for whoever wanted it. Bill stood up, but fell back down. He was getting a bit more sober now, but he was still raging drunk.

He shook his head. "Those are illegal….!" Bill looked at Falco with worry. Why would he want any part of this? How did he get into it? Why?

Frankie helped him back up, but his face had turned significantly more sinister. In a flash, he pulled a knife on poor Bill, who was still a bit too drunk to react the way many years of military service taught him. The cat had him by the throat. "Don't move, dog. Listen…."

Bill gulped. Drunk or not, he knew when someone was serious. He didn't move a muscle. The blade was only about three inches long, but it was against an artery. While the cougar whispered, Bill felt the weapon pressed to his throat. "I can't have you blabbing to anyone about this, ya see. It'd ruin me. I'd go to prison," The feline nodded in Falco's direction. He was drooling a little. "He'd go to prison, and all of my customers would too. I can't have that. Still, I like you. You seem nice. So, I'm going to make you a deal."

The cougar leaned in close. Bill strained to listen. "You have two options now. One: You die here; I dump your body in a river. I'll probably blame it on the druggie over there."

Bill felt the knife break the surface of his skin. "And option two?"

Frankie's heavy breath on Bill's neck made him uncomfortable. He hoped that option two was better.

"Option two: You become one of my clients, Mr. Grey." Bill froze, and looked at Falco for an answer. The bird's chest was bobbing up and down erratically, and his face had a goofy grin. Bill didn't know what to do. He didn't want to end up like Falco was right now, but he certainly didn't want to die.

"I don't…. I…." Bill stuttered. Wait, did he just call him Mr. Grey?

"You know who I am?"

"I know a lot about you. More than you probably think I know," Behind him, he heard Frankie sigh. "But that's not something I wanna explain. It's fine, don't worry. You can't decide? I'll give you some time to think, then. Stash you back here for a day or two, then we'll see." Bill was spun around, and groaned under his breath while the nefarious feline smiled again, their muzzles inches away from each other. The knife remained where it was. "Don't worry, you'll love it. Trust me, Bill."

This situation had sobered Bill up considerably. He could think semi-straight now.

"I don't want to die."

"Then put a needle in your arm, and give me two hundred big ones."

What did he just say? "But I'm the one who might go to the police, or something! Why should I pay you?!"

"I have the knife, dude. I can make you do anything I want."

Bill struggled to think. What will keep him occupied? After a few seconds, he got an idea. "How did Falco….?"

"Get into drugs?" Frankie lolled his head side to side. "Me and Falco have known each other for a long time; I was in the original Hot-Rodders and everything. But after Falco and Katt left, the gang broke up. Didn't see each other for years."

Frankie shoved Bill to the floor, but kept the knife trained on him. "When I started working at this bar a few months ago, I didn't know that Falco was a regular here. I dealed drugs before then though, so it wasn't anything new. Falco told he was feeling depressed that Fox was gone, and…"

_It's all because of this search for Fox….. Falco felt lonely without him, and the search was taking away all of his energy, so he turned to drugs….?_

"I don't believe you! Let me go, you freak!" Bill struggled, and Frankie corrected him by lightly jabbing the canine's wrist. This "light jab" embedded the blade an inch into Bill's wrist.

Frankie started twisting the knife. "Be. Good. When I'm telling a story. **Ok?**"

_Ahh, ah, shit this hurts-! AH!_

Frankie took the knife out, and a splurt of blood came out. He visibly shivered, then shook his head violently. He was mumbling "no" to himself, over and over, while Bill took off his shirt and wrapped it around his paw, wrist, and lower arm. Bill waited in silent pain until Frankie got a hold of himself.

"Sorry about that," he waved the knife at Bill's wrist, and put it back onto the canine's neck, "But you really should pay attention when I talk."

"Ok, ok…" Bill whispered.

_Jesus Christ, this guy is crazy! Maybe I should make a run for it?_

"Hey, why did you take off your shirt? You're shirtless."

Bill looked down at himself. His chest was brown and furry, like every other part of him.

"Yeah, I am shirtless."

"Why?"

"What?! You stabbed me in the fucking wrist, that's why!" Frankie tilted his head in skepticism.

"I did? Oh, I guess I did. Huh." Frankie flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry about that. Dunno what got into me."

_He __is__ crazy. Or stupid, I can't tell. Maybe I shouldn't run…. He might not be too "happy"._

"Are you gonna keep up this story or what?"

"Yeah, hold on. I'll be right back." Frankie stood up, and took the knife with him. He began jumping past all of the crates and boxes to the exit. "I need to close down the bar for my "lunch break". I'm coming back with my rifle though, so try not to run."

The door closed behind the cougar. Luckily, the lights were on, so Bill could still see. He slid over by Falco, and started shaking him.

"Falco, Falco! Wake up, Falco!"

Nothing happened, but the bird's dumb smile seemed to get wider. After a few tries, Bill gave up trying to wake him up.

_What did he take to make him all loopy like this…?_ Bill's eyes wandered towards the briefcase. With his un-stabbed hand, he opened the unlocked case.

_Same as before: drugs, drugs, drugs. But none that would make Falco act so strange…. Except maybe acid. Acid can do some trippy shit._

Bill rummaged some more, but didn't find anything besides the acid that could explain it. Why wasn't Falco responding? Why did he look so happy? Even stoners aren't that happy. What could it be?

"Hey, what're you doing…?" Bill swung around; Frankie was standing there, holding a rifle in both of his paws. He looked more confused than angry. After an ominous moment or two, the feline shook his head.

"Never mind; doesn't matter anymore anyway. I just got a call from my boss. You have to make your decision now." With that, Frankie pointed the barrel of the rifle at Bill's head.

"Why me?

"You're important for their plans."

"What kind of plans?"

"You'll know in a bit. Now…" Frankie nodded towards the briefcase. "There's a small vial on the left hand side, under the cocaine bags. Grab it."

Bill did as he was told, and carefully took the vial out of the case. Inside the little glass vial was a small amount of purple liquid, floating all around inside the vial like a lava lamp. Bill shook it a little bit.

"This?" Frankie nodded again. Bill looked back and forth between his two options. Crap.

"Can't I just snort some cocaine, or inject some heroin? I doubt it'd be as bad as this stuff."

"No, you can't. You have to drink every drop of it, OK?"

Bill wasn't sure if he could smack the barrel away from his head in time for a run. If he did, Frankie might turn the gun on Falco. Besides, he would get shot in the back trying to maneuver around these crates.

Bill gazed at the contents of the vial sadly. It was inevitable. He had to drink it, or die. Then again, would death be better? What if the vial was a deadly poison, or an acid meant to melt him from the inside out?

Bill looked to Falco for help. Unfortunately, the avian was still unresponsive to Bill's plight.

"Ahem. Well? What's it gonna be, Mr. Grey?"

________________________________________________________________________________

Corneria was dying without its hero; it wasn't pretty, but it was true. Crime was everywhere, and nobody was stopping it. The military was too busy looking for Fox, and so were any mercenaries the military could afford to employ. This included Star Wolf. The planet and military of Corneria was willing to overlook all previous criminal offenses; that's how desperately they wanted to find Fox.

Wolf found it foolish- every military force on this large planet, for an entire year, looking for one person? It was crazy. Who in their right minds would want to fund this fruitless operation?

But it payed. It payed unbelievably well; 20 credits an hour, for 12 hours everyday. On Corneria, one credit is the equivalent of 50 Earth dollars. Some of the hardest workers on the planet only earned half of what they earned; it was more than anyone on the three-man mercenary team could ask for. So, the team didn't complain.

But this windfall, like all others, had its negativities. Money makes people greedy and eager to please whoever is paying them. The Star Wolf team were no different- the money was corrupting them. Slowly, but surely they were being corrupted- even now, while they were having a light lunch with their friends and rivals, Team Star Fox. It was a relatively quiet meal, without Falco or Fox. Their absences were felt by everyone in the hotel room.

Panther choked down a pulled pork sandwich. "So where's Falco? He doesn't seem like the type to miss a free lunch."

"Moocher." Leon coughed nonchalantly. Wolf rolled his eyes.

"Ummm…." Slippy scratched his head. "Did we really need this much food?" On the small hotel table was a huge pile of food, everything from Italian cuisine to cheeseburgers.

Panther smiled, and pulled a rose from nowhere. "I didn't want my beloved Krystal to go hungry! Besides, I thought that bird with the black hole gullet would be here!" Krystal smiled sheepishly, then stopped as Wolf growled loudly, making the hotel bed vibrate.

"Yes, Wolf?" His leader glared at him.

"Stop hitting on her. It gets annoying, especially if you do it with your mouth full."

Everyone in the room looked at Wolf confusedly. Krystal was the first to respond.

"He always does that. Why would it matter to you?"

Panther cut Wolf off, and became the center of attention for a second. "I'm terribly sorry Krystal! It was very ungentlemanly of me to speak with my mouth full at all!! You must forgive me, for I may never forgive myself for offending you like that, Krystal! I…" Panther went on and on. It was a lucky break for Wolf though, because nobody saw his face turn as red as it did. His dirty little secret remained safe.

For an hour or two, the conversations continued. All the while, everyone was unaware that they were becoming corrupted; corrupted by loneliness without their friends, corrupted by jealousy over Krystal, and corrupted by money. For the mercenaries, without Fox, corruption was inevitable.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

**Author's Notes**:

Yeaaaaahhh…… for some, this super-climactic chapter is pretty short. For me, this is about two or three straight days of typing. Also, I'm starting to get sick of Bill. I might kill him off.

Just saying.


	5. Ash's visit

_I can't see._

Fox found himself falling through an infinite blackness. It was cold, and unyielding. He tried to scream, but nothing came out.

_I can't hear._

Fox moved his hands toward his neck, where he felt something hitting the surface of his skin. On touch, he recognized it as a rosary. As soon as he felt it, it seemed to melt away, and vanish into the black.

_Who am I?_

Fox opened his eyes, against the wind rushing past him. He still couldn't see anything.

_Where am I?_

A giant hand caught him by the tail, stopping his descent.

_Huh?_

Around the darkness surrounding him, Fox could now see something- a hand that had him wasn't one he knew. It was a black leather glove, with claws tipping the fingers. A wolf was emblazoned on the top of it.

_What's going on? _

The hand started squeezing his tail tightly, cutting off the circulation. Soon, the sounds of bones cracking were echoing all around him.

_What's that sound? It sounds like someone crumpling a piece of paper…_

Fox's tail must've snapped in half, because it folded in the grip of the giant hand. Afterwards, the hand seemed to jump back in horror- released, Fox looked up at the hand. It looked sad, if that was possible. He felt himself falling again, but he didn't feel any pain.

He couldn't see it, but solid ground was approaching him at unimaginable speeds.

_**Death?**_

Fox smacked the ground with a sickening crack. After that, silence. Then Fox heard it again: the hated dripping sound. Sitting up straight from the position he slept in, he blinked away any crust from his eye.

"I guess I'm still alive." Fox stretched as far as the cramped quarters would let him; his brilliant green eyes were dulled from waking up after sleeping for hours, and from the recent dream he had.

_Yay, my first dream since I forgot my name. Good for me; maybe I'll dream up an escape plan…. What was that hand for? Does it symbolize someone? Or am I starting to imagine things?_

Fox looked at the stone wall ahead of him with a bored look. "Now what? I don't have much to do in here…" Fox looked above at the door. His prison was like a hole in the ground, with a door on top. He never knew what lay beyond it though; whenever his hunger became too much, and he collapsed, he'd wake up to find food in front of him. Faking it didn't work- they must be monitoring his vitals or something. After checking it for the billionth time, a disappointed Fox laid down into a sleeping position again.

He took the time to try to remember his name. Was it Jack or Mark? Bob or James? After about half an hour of that, Fox gave up trying to remember, and focused on what he did remember instead.

_That woman's face…._ The radiant face of the blue vixen came in mind. Instantly, Fox felt the familiar mix of sadness, attraction and loneliness.

_Who are you, miss?_

Fox snapped out of his thoughts violently. He had to stop thinking about her…… This woman had a scary quality about her whenever Fox remembered her face- he would start to feel weak. Not weak, like in love, but physically weakened; as if her face was draining his energy. Was that even possible? The vulpine shivered, despite the heat.

_Am I going crazy….?_

Ah, that question again. All prisoners, after awhile, had to face it. Of course, the ability to ask that question was testament to how sane they really were. Then again, it was always uncomfortable to ask it; nobody ever wanted to consider the possibility that they might lose their sense of self.

Breathing in, and breathing out; erratic, mechanic, and slow. Fox took everything from his surroundings he could. Finally, he frowned unhappily.

_To everyone from my past, and the people I've forgotten: Do you hate me? Is that why I'm here? Or do you miss me…._

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ash watched the large computer monitor blankly. In the corner of the screen Fox's vital signs were displayed, while most of the rest of it was taken up by the surveillance of the new test subjects. His eyes were a sore red from examining how the kidnapping was going and his butt was asleep in the fold-out metal chair, even with the cushions embedded in it. No lights were on. The only light in the room came from the computer screen; a very boring computer screen. "They're asleep… Why do I have to watch them sleep?"

"Someone has to. Besides, it's not like you were doing anything anyway." Ash didn't hear his brother come into the room, but he didn't turn his head to look at him.

"Hey Alex."

The primate grinned. "Hey little bro. Feeling tired?"

Ash leaned back in the uncomfortable chair, stretching his arms. "Yeah... Mind taking over for a bit? I wanna go see the fresh meat for myself."

Alex took up a metal chair and handed an orange soda to Ash, who moved aside for his older brother. Alex complied by scooting his chair into the spot where Ash's just was. "No. Anthony said he needed to give them the proper treatment for what we have in store."

Ash looked at Alex pleadingly, with large puppy eyes. "Please?"

"I'll take over for you, but don't go near them, OK?" Ash rolled his eyes.

"They're just sleeping…. What does Anthony want with them, anyway?"

Alex shrugged. "Dunno. Anthony's the only one who knows- ask him."

"He won't tell me."

"He probably has a good reason."

Ash pouted quietly, taking a sip from his drink. "Fine. I guess I'll just go take a nap then."

"'K. Have a good rest."

Ash got up and left, closing the door softly. Once he was out of his brother's hearing range, he scoffed. "I'm going to go see them whether he wants me to or not. Take that, Alex. Ha."

_Walking._

_Walking._

_More walking._

_God damnit, why is this house so big? _

Through various doors and hallways, Ash came across the dining room. In the middle of the room was a large wooden table, draped with a white cloth that touched the floor. Behind it, the large gothic-style window that came with their little hideout. Other than those two objects, there was nothing but dirty carpet and darkly painted walls. The three of them had decorated the entire house simply- only the necessities. It had another function, though.

_I want to see Fox again, but what if they catch me…?_

Ash bit his lip. He'd done it before- go down, talk to Fox, and wipe his memory afterwards. Whether out of sheer boredom, or pity, he'd go down once a week to talk. Nothing was new with him, usually; a new dream there, and a faint memory there. The only reason he ever went down there at all, truthfully, was because he wanted someone to listen to him.

Crawling under the table, Ash spotted the trapdoor. Before he opened it though, he stopped. "He's probably hungry…"

Ash got out from under the table to go into the adjacent room, the kitchen.

_He said he liked turkey….._

Ash got bread out of the drawer, next to the fridge, which had the mayo and turkey slices. One sandwich, coming up.

Getting out the paper plates, Ash smiled happily. Visiting Fox was a bad idea, but it was nice having someone to talk to.

_He's the closest thing I have to a friend…. _Ash stood in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, frozen for a moment. Holding two sandwiches, one in each hand, he felt himself start to tear up.

_He's not my friend….. He's just a test subject I'm interested in….._

Ash trotted to the table, unsatisfied with himself. After crawling under the table again, he set the sandwiches down on the floor. He put one hand on the hatch and the other on the lock, turning both simultaneously. The trapdoor opened into the dungeon, revealing a harsh light on the semi-emaciated vulpine. His eyes, in the light, shined an awesome bright green, and his maw held a mix of pleasant surprise and shock.

_Oh yeah…. He doesn't remember who I am_. Ash smiled, ready to cry again.

"Hey Fox. Are you hungry?"

The vulpine, unsure of what to say, nodded slowly. Ash lowered one of the sandwiches into the prison and then got down in there himself. It was a bit cramped, but it was nice. Ash read Fox's face for something to talk about.

"My name is Ash. Yours is Fox. What do you wanna talk about?"

Fox blinked twice. "Fox"? That was his name? Fox stared at the young primate before him stoically. Ash noticed, and felt his face go red.

"…..Yes?"

"Why are you here?" Fox said dryly.

"I wanted to talk."

That answer caught Fox by surprise- someone wanted to talk to him?

"Uhh….. Ash, right?"

"Yeah Fox?" Ash tilted his head.

"Who are you? Who am I?"

Ash sighed, and set his sandwich down in his lap. "You're Fox McCloud. I'm Ash Oikanny. Me and my brothers are holding you hostage."

Fox furrowed his brow. "Why?"

"I….. Because….." Ash thought about it for a moment. Why **were** they doing this? "I don't know. Ask my brothers, I guess."

Fox looked at the monkey indigently. "Why can't I remember anything then?"

"We're experimenting on you."

Fox very nearly gasped. "Experimenting on me? Why? What did I do???"

Ash began to get impatient. "Again, ask my brothers, not me. They don't tell me anything…."

Fox picked up the sandwich from the ground that was supposed to be his. "Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to talk."

Fox started to understand. "You didn't come to talk. You came here to confess crap to me, right?"

Ash put a finger against his lips. "Oops. Busted, I guess."

A small, awkward silence. Then Fox's bluntness shined through again.

"What did you want to say?"

Ash bit his tongue. "I'm sorry for what we're doing to you."

Fox sat, dumbfounded, unable to think of something to say. Ash realized how uncomfortable he made Fox, so he started to concentrate on his food. So they sat in silence for a few minutes, both eating their individual sandwiches. Eventually, Fox broke the ice again.

"So my name's Fox?"

"Yeah."

"Fox McCloud?"

"Mmhmm."

Fox smiled faintly. "That's a nice name."

Ash smiled back. "You always say that….." He mumbled.

"Huh?" Fox gave Ash a strange look. "What was that?"

Ash blushed. "Nothing, nothing….. Say, why are you so mellow?"

Fox blinked. "Whaddya mean?"

"I just told you that I've pretty much ruined your life! Why aren't you attempting to strangle me right now?"

Fox sat for a moment, entranced in thought. "I don't know. I probably should be, but I'm not. I guess I just naturally feel comfortable around you." Fox turned towards Ash wearily, smiling. "Also, I'm chained to a wall, which means I couldn't leave if I tried."

Fox squinted. "Now **I** have a question."

"Shoot."

"Have we done this before?"

Ash's face turned a little sly. "Have we what?"

"Don't play games with me, Ash. I'm not an idiot."

"No really, what're you talking about?"

"Have you gone down here before to talk to me?"

Ash took a deep breath. "Yeah." He exhaled.

Fox connected the dots. "You've been erasing my memories, haven't you? Is that what you're experimenting on me?"

"Uh-huh. Brainwashing and stuff." He said nervously.

Fox felt something cold go up his spine. "….Brainwashing? Like, mind control and stuff???"Fox clutched his head in a feeble attempt to feel in control of himself. Meanwhile, Ash stood up.

"See ya, Fox. It's been fun." Ash opened the trapdoor to let himself out. As he was leaving, Fox grabbed his shirt desperately to stop him.

"You aren't going to wipe my mind or something this time?" Ash smiled, and nodded.

"Yeah, but keep it a secret, ok?" Ash moved to remove Fox's hand from his shirt, but found his palm in Fox's grip. Inadvertently, he blushed.

"You're not going to brainwash me anymore?"

Ash smiled, pitying the older male. "I'll try not to, Fox. I can't say the same for my brothers, though."

Ash slipped out of Fox's grip, and jumped out from the dungeon. "See ya."

Fox felt much happier than he did earlier. He knew why he what was going on now; holy shit it felt good. Also, it seemed he had gained a friend who could tell him everything he needed to know...

....And as soon as he got out of these chains, he'd strangle the little fucker to death. He couldn't wait. As Ash closed the trapdoor, he grinned at Fox, who smiled back innocently. "See ya."


	6. Day One, Night One

Krystal checked her watch again before sighing as loudly as she could, to get Slippy's attention. He was staring extremely hard into the hotel window, thinking about something. When Krystal sighed, he turned around to look at her.

"Hmm? Need something, Krystal?" Slippy probably knew what she was going to say, but that didn't stop her from saying it.

"Let's pack Falco's stuff and go already," she said in a half-hearted tone. "He's not going to be back for a long while."

Slippy licked his dry lips. He didn't want to leave. What if something bad happened and Falco came here to try to find them? "Let's wait until tomorrow. We'll have to wait for him until then."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Bill's head lolled side to side. He was asleep in his bed, having a really nice dream…

"Wake up, moron. Hey, can you hear me? Wake up!" Bill was suddenly jostled from his sleep, only to be hit with the unpleasant smell of someone's morning breath. He blinked away some eye-crust before he could see. He wasn't in bed at all; he was in a very undecorated room with no door or windows, with a mattress thrown to the side for him to sleep on. It took him a second to register who spoke just now.

"Falco…?" His vision was still a bit blurry. "Is that you?"

Above him, the bird grimaced. "Oh, now you remember me…?" Bill didn't know what he was talking about. What did he mean by that?

"Huh?" Was all he could say. "Lemme get up." Falco moved so Bill could sit up straight. When Bill looked to him, his face was serious.

"What's the matter with you?" Bill's head was still a little fuzzy.

"What's the matter with me?" Falco growled, "What the fuck is the matter with you?!"

Bill blinked. "Huh?"

Falco suppressed the urge to kick his ass. "Why am I here, Bill? Why are YOU here?"

Something clicked in Bill's mind. He jumped off the bed. "It was that cougar! That son of a… He freaking drugged me!" Bill yelled angrily, but not at Falco. It was directed towards the room itself.

"Frankie?" Falco inquired, "He did this?"

Bill nodded. "Yeah, I don't know what the hell. It was my first time at that bar, and I didn't know the place all too well." Bill then remembered the other stuff that happened too. Oh shit.

"Oh, and I'm sorry I didn't recognize you." Bill tossed out.

Falco wasn't the kind of person to hold a grudge, but GOD DAMN IT, this was irritating. Bill shrugged him off like that? Who the hell does that anyway?

"He… drugged you? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You too…. Or did he, Falco?" Bill said, crossing his arms.

Falco stuttered, confused. "Huh?"

"You took the drug willingly, didn't you?" Bill said icily.

Falco's heart began to beat faster. He hastily gulped down a frog in his throat. "I… don't remember…"

"Liar."

Falco felt his anger take up defense again, then he took some deep breathes. Bill was not going to get the best of him. "I seriously don't remember! All I know is that I was led back into that storage room, and then I woke up to find you sleeping with me!"

Bill's face, under his fur, turned red of its own free will, either out of anger of embarrassment. But before he could say anything, Falco took advantage of the pause in the conversation to ensure it was going to be embarrassment. "You're a real cuddler when you sleep, you know that?" He provoked.

Bill, now flummoxed by what Falco said, stopped talking. He stomped to the corner furthest from his cellmate and sat down. Satisfied that he had won this time, Falco claimed the bed for himself while Bill laid down in the corner. Sure, it wasn't fair, but one thing Falco had just established something-

Of the two of them, he was dominant.

About two hours passed in Bill's mind before he fell asleep. He recorded every second with a mechanism he had learned during the original Lylat War. Since, he's always been fairly accurate on time, even without a watch. Two long hours passed before something happened. Clearly, he was either hallucinating or in some sick psychological torture chamber; the entire room suddenly inverted, sending Bill and Falco flying into the wall.

Wham. "Ahhhh…" Bill quietly moaned, "What the hell just happened?" Bill looked around. Falco appeared to be sleeping still, despite the jolt. He'd have a headache in the morning. And for some reason, the only bed was still attached to the floor-turned-wall.

"Fucking hell." Bill quipped. "Everything in here is backwards." Bill didn't bother to check on Falco. He seemed fine. Sitting down, frustrated and fearful that the room would turn over again, he wondered where they were, or where they were going. Suddenly though, something happened again that Bill didn't anticipate. A small hole opened up in the ceiling, and dropped down a metal pipe. With a resounding clanking noise, it bounced and rolled to Bill's feet. The entire time Bill was yelling at whomever was up there, but they must not have heard him because the hole closed up again, leaving a seamless ceiling. Bill turned his attention to the pipe. "What's this for?" Bill thought outloud. He picked it up cautiously, and used it to swipe the stale air he shared with his sleeping cellmate. In a bad situation, he could some serious damage with this.

Bill set it down next to him and leaned back into the wall. His tail was matted between the wall and his butt uncomfortably, but he was a bit too tired to care. For a little bit, he wondered what was going on, but finally, around 6am in his calculating mind, he dozed off to sleep.

"_Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand."_


	7. Day One

The sun was barely rising over the horizon when his eyes flickered open. A beam of sunlight from the nearby window landed perfectly on his eye, waking him up slowly. When he moved to sit up, the blanket that had been covering him was graced with the light. It was a deep red, which accented the room he was staying in nicely. Raising his arms above his head, stretching, he opened his eyes to quickly scan the room. His leather jacket was draped over a chair by the table in his room, the table being occupied with various fast food wrappers and old soda drinks. In the small chair by the cluttered mess were the rest of his clothes- a white shirt, a pair of boxers, military grade boots, black jeans and one pair of socks that were filled with holes.

Wolf O'Donnell felt something twitching under his blanket. He knew what it was, but still lifted the covers of the blanket to glance at it.

"Why hello there," he remarked, chuckling a little. "What are **you** doing here?"

Wolf jumped out of bed with that, snapping him completely out of the usual tired feeling of lying in bed, but stopped himself from grabbing his underwear to check the alarm clock. The alarm wasn't set, as usual- the time was definitely wrong too. There was no way it was 9pm. Oh well; he'd have to fix that sometime.

A knock pounded on his door as Wolf was getting ready to make himself semi-decent. Luckily, it was locked. "Yeah?" He yelled out, pulling up his black boxers.

"It's me," a small voice answered. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." Wolf replied, pushing his bushy grey tail into the hole in his boxers made for tailed-creatures.

Leon rattled the doorknob. "It's locked." Oh yeah. Wolf stopped dressing to open the door and let him in. When Leon saw Wolf, he flicked his tongue out mockingly.

"Having trouble?" He snickered. "Usually you're up long before now."

"Shut up. I didn't sleep too good last night."

"Yeah? Too bad- we've got a job offer." Wolf blinked quizzically.

"Who wants to give us a job? We already have one at the moment, Leon."

Leon scowled. He hated the current job they were doing- search and rescue for the Corneria military. Pfft. He reminisced about the good days on Venom, when all he had to do was shoot and kill. He preferred it that way. But, in retrospect, they needed money desperately when the job was being offered to them; and they couldn't just turn away or walk away from a job that paid so damn well. So he put up with it.

Wolf knew all of this as Leon started explaining. "It's from the military. They want us to find someone."

"We're already looking for someone." Wolf said bluntly.

"I know," Leon hissed. "But if we do this, our current pay gets increased by half."

Wolf slid on his leather jacket, thus finishing dressing. Before he continued, Leon waited for him to respond. Wolf thought for a moment and turned away from him. "Half, huh? Why do we want more? We get paid a lot already."

Leon moved so he could talk face-to-face with Wolf. He bared his teeth in a smile. "If we do this, we can go. No more being the military's pets." Leon emphasized the word 'pets'. Wolf was still locked in thought.

"Do you think the military would let us go back with their money to Sargasso, rebuild our hideout and become a potential threat?" This unexpected statement had weighed heavily on his mind for weeks. He didn't think the military would let them go so easily. Leon didn't think it was odd to show some precaution.

"If they double-cross us, we'll simply kill them." Leon stated.

Wolf smiled. "I suppose we could." He felt a bit more confident now. If he was right, then they'd do what Leon said. They'd kill them. Not too hard, with Corneria's military standards.

"You have a file for this mission?" Wolf asked. "I want to look over some things."

"Right here." Leon pulled a folder out of his shirt and threw it to Wolf. "I'll wake Panther while you read it over."

"Hey, try not to kill each other, all right? Save it for the Wolfens." Wolf scolded playfully.

Leon didn't answer, but raised his hands defensively as he was walking away in a gesture of innocence. He closed the door behind him as Wolf flung the file on his bed. He'd read it in a minute, after he brushed his teeth. When he threw it, a few papers spilled out, along a picture of a beaming canine in an all blue military uniform, signifying the Corneria Air Defense, complete with embroidered hat- a name and some information stuck out too.

**BILL GREY**

**AGE: **27

**EYE COLOR: **Brown

**MEDICAL INFORMATION**: No known allergies. Known to abuse alcohol. May have fleas or ticks.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

It was so warm in here, even if there weren't any blankets or anything. Maybe it was because he was sleeping in his clothes; he wanted to take them off, but Bill was right there. Oh well.

Falco liked this mattress. It was much softer than the one on the Great Fox- smelled better too. It smelled new, like it had only been bought yesterday, which it probably was. He was having such a pleasant time, just laying there. He didn't want to move at all. Maybe never again.

Pang. Something stopped him from drifting off back to sleep.

Pang. It was his head.

Pang. There was something warm dripping off of his head.

Falco reached up and felt the back of his head. He winced in immediate pain. Something wet oozed between his feathers and fingers, and something crumbled. It was so warm. "Mmmph… What the?"

Falco slowly sat up and looked behind him to the part of the bed where his head was.

What the hell?! There was a fairly large stain of dried blood where his head was previously. He bolted to his feet but nearly tripped doing so. He felt himself get a little dizzy.

"Blood loss… Oh Jesus Christ…" Falco cursed a bit more. He knew what he needed to do first- stop the bleeding. He took off his shirt and dabbed at the back of his head to see how much there was. He examined the stained shirt. The bleeding wasn't as bad as he originally thought it was. It was coagulating fine. He tied the shirt around his head to stop blood flowing out- he hoped it wouldn't soak through too quickly.

Now there was the other thing. Why was he bleeding? Falco looked around the room for Bill, and found him still curled in the corner farthest from the bed. Falco tip-toed over to him to examine him. He looked perfectly normal…. Except…

"A pipe? What the hell?" Falco picked up the metal object lying near Bill and was shocked to find dried blood covering it. Bill hit him? Why? When did he get this pipe? Falco turned his head towards Bill and kicked him the side. Immediately, the dog groaned in displeasure and stood on his knees.

"Yeah…?" Bill's eyes found the pipe in Falco's hand and the shirt around his head. He looked confused and a bit angry about it. There was something different about the pipe; it was covered in blood. Bill's eyes met Falco's.

"What happened?" Falco almost drop-kicked Bill right there, but instead gritted his beak and replied,

"You hit me with this?" Bill looked perplexed and shook his head, getting on his feet.

"No, of course not! What makes you think that?!"

Falco turned around and Bill's jaw went agape. It did look like someone had gone and smacked him upside the head. And he was lying with it…

This was bad. "Falco, I didn't do that!" Someone was trying to set him up.

Falco turned a wary eye towards Bill. "Ok then." He turned away.

Bill closed his mouth. "What..?"

"I believe you. I don't think you're the kind of person who'd kill me in my sleep, Bill; besides, you were never a very good liar. And you seem like you're telling the truth now…" Falco spoke in a tired voice.

Bill felt a sudden sense of relief. The Falco he remembered would've jumped the gun and started beating him with the pipe. In fact, Falco looked a lot calmer than he did the last time Bill saw him.

Falco was with Fox back then; the thought provoked Bill into speaking to Falco again.

"They're trying to make us kill each other."

"Mmm-hmm."

"Why?

"I don't know, Bill. I'm not the one who put us in here."

* * *

**Special Note**: In case you guys didn't notice, I'm updating more often. I'm planning on updating about once a week, which shouldn't be hard since I almost always have my laptop with me. Also, I'd appreciate any reviews regarding my writing style and things that I may want to improve on. Thanks.

P.S.- Fox will appear in the next chapter, I promise. :'D


	8. Anticipation

"There was a peaceful meadow in the middle of a forest. Nothing but the meadow's grass grew there, and no living creature made its home there. One day, somebody found the meadow and instantly fell in love with the spot. It was amazing- everyone who was shown the meadow also fell in love with it, calling it a "magical place". People decided it was too good to waste, and built a wishing well. But so many people came to make a wish that others started building too. Enthusiastic businessmen built shops there, and soon enough roads and houses were built there. The people who lived there carelessly tossed their trash on the ground and dumped their waste into the earth. Within ten years of it's discovery, a nuclear accident occurred in the meadow that rendered it and all of surrounding forest uninhabitable. The peaceful meadow was never the same again."

Ash closed the book he had been reading and looked up at Fox."Do you see the moral in this?"

Fox was only half-paying attention. "Huh? Oh… Never build wishing wells?"

Ash shook his head and started collecting the trash that was left over from the food they had eaten. He had been sitting in here for hours, talking and eating with Fox. It was an affordable luxury, because Alex and Anthony were going to be gone until tomorrow morning. They needed materials for whatever project they were doing now; as always, they didn't see Ash as important enough to share their plans with.

"Ya know, for a little kid, you're pretty smart." Fox commented. Ash didn't look up.

"Thanks," Ash replied, "My brothers are good teachers."

"What are they like?"

"I've told you before…"

Fox tilted his head. Oh yeah.

"Anyway Fox, do you know what the moral of the story is?" Ash asked, stuffing the wrappers in his pockets.

Fox thought for a moment before responding. "Take good care of nature?"

"I guess that's one moral, but there's another one I found to be more important."

Fox raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"People can't be trusted with important things… Like nature, I suppose." Ash's tone sounded a bit darker than usual. Fox moved to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ash…?"

"What?"

"You ok?"

Ash turned around with a humongous smile on his face; Fox wouldn't have known it was fake if it weren't for what he just said. It was quite convincing.

"I'm fine, Fox! You stay here while I get more snacks, ok?!" Ash bolted from the confines of the hole so fast Fox couldn't get a word in. When Ash left, Fox suddenly had an inspirational idea. But would it work…? He waited for Ash to come back to execute it.

When Ash came back, he was loaded with sandwiches and sweets. His face wasn't red and his eyes weren't puffy, so he must not have been crying, but the earlier event didn't rule anything out. It proved he was a good actor. Ash set most of the food and drinks down before he started clambering into the cell, but Fox stopped him there.

"Ash, can you wait a second before coming in here?" Fox asked.

Ash gave Fox a strange look. "Sure…? What's up, Fox?"

Fox smiled at him. "Can I… Go outside?"

Ash froze. This was bound to happen sooner or later; he knew that 'no' was the right answer.

"You said your brothers were gone today. What's the harm?"

"Fox, you know I can't do that! Every outside part of this mansion is filled with cameras! If Anthony found out about this, he'd kill me! He really would!"

"Then we won't go outside." Fox stated. "I need to stretch my legs Ash. Please???"

Ash was more than reluctant. It was like he said- Alex may be above killing him for doing that, but Anthony was not. There'd be no remorse or mercy for something like this.

"I'm not letting you out."

Fox was determined. "Ok, how about this? You let out of here, but I'll stay handcuffed the whole time. And we'll only stay in the rooms you know don't have cameras. Is that ok?"

Ash felt like he was making a deal with the devil; which he probably was. What was keeping Fox from killing him once he got out? Still, if he didn't let him out, Fox might not want to be friends with him anymore…

"You can only go around the mansion. Nowhere else. We'll even have to avoid windows, so cameras can't see us."

Fox bared his teeth into a gracious smile. "Thanks Ash. I really appreciate it."

Ash left for a minute, and came back with a key. Slowly, he inched down towards the restraints on Fox's feet. Ash noticed Fox was trembling a little bit and stopped. "Is everything all right, Fox?"

"Yeah, everything's fine… Just **excited**, is all."

Ash nodded in understanding and continued to begin releasing Fox. Only time would tell if this was a good idea, or a fatal mistake for the young primate.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Slippy threw the bags in the car Krystal and he rented quickly but carefully. It was cheap, small, and had a bright red coating. They had given up on Falco for now, so they took his bags with him. Krystal had also told the hotel where they would be if he showed up, which they happily promised to do. Krystal laid in the sun in the passenger side of the car as Slippy got in.

Krystal started conversation when Slippy started the engine. "It's nice today. Do you think we can go to the beach sometime?"

Slippy smiled at Krystal's optimism. "Maybe, once we get this new mission done."

"And find Falco."

"Right." Slippy chuckled, pulling out of the parking lot. Krystal stayed quiet for a little while when Slippy was driving, until he reached the first intersection.

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Slippy, I'm sure Falco's fine. There's no need to worry about him, all right? He'll show up at the last minute like he always does."

Slippy knew Krystal had heard his thoughts. He tried not to think of anything as he drove more, but he couldn't help it. Krystal spoke again.

"Slippy, what do you think this new mission is? Peppy didn't specify anything."

"Except that we're getting a lot of cash." Slippy reminded.

"Right. But what would pay this much?"

"I dunno," Slippy said as he made a right turn, "Retrieval mission?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure either..." Krystal trailed off.

"I guess we'll see when we get there."


	9. Debriefing

Panther roamed about the General's office, impatient as he always was to get things going. In the ten minutes he'd been in here, he'd glanced at all of the books in the nearby bookcase, adjacent to the polished desk he inspected (there was some gum under the General's chair, too), and laid on the red therapist-like couch in the corner. Panther's nature, as a cat and as himself, was to entertain himself in any way possible when he was bored.

Panther flexed his paw, releasing sharpened claws. "I wonder what would happen if I tore up their sofa…"

"Then I'd stab you in the eye." Leon replied. He and Wolf were satisfied watching Panther suffer from boredom in one of three chairs seated across from the General's desk.

"Going soft for Cornerians, Leon?" Panther said in a mocking tone. Leon's tongue flickered out and went back in. This was Leon's subtle but noticeable "I'll kill you" gesture.

"Panther sit down and shut up; Leon, don't stab him in the eye." Wolf hushed them before a fight ensued, and Panther sat down in the chair next to Wolf.

Wolf sat in the middle. It asserted his position as leader and prevented Leon and Panther from killing each other.

Leon sat on the left, nearest to the window- he liked the warmth of the sunlight against his cold-blooded body.

Panther sat on the right. He wondered what the other two seats were like.

Only a minute more passed before the door opened; only Panther turned his head to look before jumping out of his chair.

"Krystal!!! What're you doing here my sweet dear I suppose destiny has a way of bringing star-crossed lovers together would you like a rose the last one I gave you must have withered already unlike my love…" Panther started his rant as Krystal and Slippy Toad walked into the room. However, they were the only ones to walk in.

"How did I know this was coming…?" Leon muttered. Wolf found himself tracing the curves of Krystal's purple suit; he had immediately wheeled his head when Panther had said her name.

Panther offered her his seat and Krystal took it gratefully while Slippy and he sat on the nearby couch.

"Where's Falco?" Leon asked.

Krystal shrugged. "We haven't seen him since we had lunch a while ago. He should show up here, though. He always has his cellphone, and this mission is pretty important." Leon nodded and turned his eyes back to the empty General's chair.

"Wait," Wolf said, "We're working together with you guys? Again?"

"I suppose so."

Wolf sighed, which made Krystal glare at him. "What?"

"Do we have to? It gets annoying for me having to maneuver six ships at once, you know." Wolf moved his eyes to meet Krystal's cold ones. Wolf smiled.

"I'm sorry." Wolf apologized and turned his eyes towards the window. He was still smiling as Krystal's mouth formed a pleasantly surprised 'o'.

Panther had never heard Wolf apologize to anyone before. Ever. And by the look on Leon's face, which was usually emotionless, he had **never** heard it either. Leon was stammering to say something when the door opened again, letting in Peppy Hare and a slender tabby cat in.

"Hello all, sorry I'm late."

_15 Godamned minutes late._ Panther thought.

The rabbit sat down in his cushioned chair and proceeded to put out his hand. "The suitcase, Lieutenant?" The tabby cat handed Peppy the black leather suitcase and moved to the light switch near the door.

"Now," Peppy started talking as he opened the suitcase, "I'm sure that by now you all know why you're here; to receive the details of the mission you're to carry out. You should also know by now the pay will be substantial."

"Wait." Krystal stopped him. Peppy's eyes were patient.

"Yes, Krystal?"

"Shouldn't we wait for Falco?"

Peppy rubbed his temples. "We tried his cell, but only got his voicemail. We'll continue on, and you can debrief him later." Krystal considered insisting for him to wait, but didn't want to interrupt Peppy anymore. It was Falco's loss that he was missing this anyway.

Peppy pressed something inside the suitcase as the lights dimmed. A small rotating projection of Corneria came up. "I'll answer any questions about the mission once I brief you." The globe had a pop-up of a recognizable and serious canine. The Star Wolf team already knew who it was, but Krystal and Slippy didn't.

"Bill? Bill Grey? What's this about, Peppy?" Krystal recognized the dog as an old friend of Fox. Peppy pressed another button and his photo was enlarged.

"What I'm about to share is very private information. Bill Grey is a leading solider in the Cornerian Army, and in one week from now will replace me. At least, that was the plan. I'd been planning it for about a month now, but I didn't tell him until a few nights ago. Since, he hasn't reported in daily, like he's supposed to."

"Cold feet?" Wolf asked. Peppy shook his head.

"Bill isn't the type to run away from things. I'll admit he was upset though, when I told him."

"Wait a second, upset?" Slippy was confused. "About being promoted to the highest military position on the planet?"

Now that Slippy pointed it out, everyone else thought it was pretty strange too; with the exception of Leon, who was staring at Wolf blankly. Krystal gave Peppy a quizzical look before he continued.

"I'm not sure why he was upset; I assume it's because he prefers action to a desk job. Then again, I don't know Bill personally, so I can't be sure. Anyway, let's move on." Peppy clicked on something inside the projector, making it zoom in on the gray area of the planet that was Corneria City. It zoomed into a very tiny concrete building with a metallic roof.

"Your mission is to find Bill Grey and bring him back here. The reason I have all of you working on this is due to the fact that as the future General, Bill's life is the target of many an interstellar and Cornerian-based terrorism group; his safety is of the upmost importance." Peppy pointed to the building.

"This is where Bill Grey was last spotted, at a small bar that's actually only a mile's walk from here. Ask about him and thoroughly search the building." Peppy pointed at the tabby cat, who turned on the lights again.

"However," Peppy said as he turned off the projector and closed the case, "Nobody must know that he's going to be General. That information is top secret and will further endanger Bill. Also, on the off-chance that this mission takes you off of the planet or a great distance around the planet, please feel free to use your individual fighter ships. All gas you need is compliments of the Corneria military. That's all." Peppy finished and wiped some sweat from his forehead with a small cloth that was on his desk.

"Any questions?" Panther raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Why can't the military search for him?" Panther asked.

"It'd be very suspicious if we sent out most of the Cornerian Army to search for him, wouldn't it? We want this mission to be top-secret. Nobody must breathe a word."

Everyone stayed quiet for a bit. Peppy raised an eyebrow. "What are you waiting for? An invitation? GO! Now!"


	10. A new you

_Where am I again?_

A familiar question that Falco had been asking himself a lot lately; unlike before, he wasn't completely alone, though. Bill was strapped to a chair beside him. Falco was completely unrestrained. Why wasn't he helping him? Bill was unconscious, with his head resting on the back of the chair. Falco could almost see a trickle of blood inside of his mouth from this angle. Get Bill get socked in the mouth or something?

Falco was standing beside Bill. The only thing that was moving were his eyes- other than those two deep brown eyes, looking over Bill for any sign of life, Falco wasn't moving. In the position his head was in, he couldn't see anything else. He was watching the prisoner.

_But aren't I a prisoner too?_

Falco mentally struggled for his body to move. The only thing he managed to do was tilt his head upwards. They were in some sort of closed structure; everything was made of… Rubber? How strange; it appeared that he and Bill were no longer inside the room they had been occupying before. What happened? All he remembered was going over to the bed and falling asleep; he cursed himself for leaving Bill without any backup.

_We got moved out of there... Why? And where the hell did we get moved to?_

Falco wanted to test the room- see if it was bouncy like rubber or anything, but he still couldn't move, no matter how much he strained. So he gave up on that and tried to move his head toward Bill again.

_My neck feels… Huh? What the fuck?_

There was something attached to his neck- it felt like a tube or a thick wire. On the outside, Falco's arms began shaking desperately in an attempt to move and feel for it. However, his facial expression was blank. It didn't even look like he was straining mentally or physically, despite the obvious fact that he was.

Falco tried talking to Bill. He was too tired to try anything else now.

_Bill. BILL. BILL WAKE UP YOU STUPID FUCK_

_HEY_

_HEY… I'm not talking, am I?_

Indeed, Falco's beak hadn't moved and his facial expression remained unchanged. Falco tried to move his head towards Bill again, and succeeded. Bill was still out of it; Falco considered that he may be drugged.

"Bl… Bi…" That was as much as Falco could say. Closing his eyes, he wanted to come up with a plan to do something other than stand here.

_I need to get help. But who would want to help me now? And where are we?_

Falco wasn't moving an inch.

_Stop asking yourself that question- you're being retarded._

He thought he heard something.

_It sounds like footsteps. Is someone coming?_

Falco wanted to tilt his head towards the sound to hear it better, but he couldn't.

_It is footsteps… They're getting closer?_

An unseen door creaked open. Falco's body wheeled around in attention. A pair of primates walked into the room, bouncing as they went- apparently this room was made of rubber. Huh.

"Good morning." He heard a voice say. It was his voice. But at the same time, it wasn't. It was too deep to be his voice.

_WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME_

Falco didn't recognize the two who came in. "Good morning, Agent. How's the prisoner?" The taller one said.

"He hasn't moved since you left." Falco's mouth had a mind of his own.

"Good! Then everything is going just as we planned!" The smaller one peeped. "Good work, Agent!"

_My name isn't Agent!_

"Now then…" The older one trailed off, moving closer. "Let's get this off of you then." Something popped off of Falco's neck, which instantly felt lighter. The man held the device in front of his face. It was circular and metallic, with four lights attached to it; one of the lights blinked red and shut off right in front of him. In that moment, he immediately attempted to lunge at the guy, but his body still didn't move. The younger looking one noticed this and laughed.

"Look, resistance! That's a first."

The elder started examining Falco closely. "Indeed. Agent, I'm going to give you your next order."

_Stop calling me that my name is… Falco? Falco! MY NAME IS FALCO DAMMIT_

"Alex?" The man smiled mischievously. "Go get a mirror. I want Agent to see what's happened."

_WHAT DID YOU DO_

The little one ran out promptly, and came back a few minutes later snickering. The older took the mirror from him and wrapped it in his hands. "Welcome to Corneria, Agent."

He held up the mirror.

…_**WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME**_

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Short update today. Oh well, sorry. I hope you appreciate cliffhangers, though. As always, Read and review.

-G.O.O.M.B.


	11. No more games

"…It feels weird."

"C'mon, just stick it all the way in there. It feels nice, huh Fox?"

…

…

The Jell-O Ash was holding on a plastic plate jiggled erratically when Fox stuck his hand into it.

"This game is stupid. Can't we do something that doesn't involve me sticking my arm into weird shit?" Fox complained. Ash looked up from the Jell-O to look at Fox coldly.

"No, finish this game first. After we're done here, we'll do whatever you want, ok?" The youngster's voice squeaked when he talked. Fox made a disgusted face as his elbow went through the lime gelatin.

…

…

…

…

"Can I at least take the blindfold off?"

"Not until I put your handcuffs back on."

Fox McCloud was playing a strange game with the youngest clone of his worst enemy. As soon as he was released from his prison he planned on making a break for it; he didn't know what was outside, or even if there was an outside anymore- but he had to find out. But Ash insisted on playing games with Fox today, and was careful. The gun was primed at all times, and he was handcuffed at all times.

Anyway, Ash apparently thought up this little game when he was playing with his food one day, or so he said. It wasn't pleasant for Fox, but he had to endure it for now. However, as soon as this particular game was over, there weren't going to be any more games.

"You're nearly there!" Ash said cheerfully. Almost all of Fox's entire left arm had been through the Jell-O by now.

_I'm nearly there._

…

…

"You can do it, Fox!"

_I will do it._

…

…

…

Fox went intentionally slower for the next few seconds, giving him time to trace Ash's location from his voice. He was close, only about two feet away from him- Fox knew he had a blaster, but was confident he could knock it away from. Ash's laughter as Fox's sticky fur came out of the gelatin was getting slower, and so was the rest of the world around Fox. The next few seconds would determine his entire life.

"**Fox**" Ash's voice was slowing down as Fox whipped his arm towards him.

"**maybe after this we can**" No more games.

"**go watch TV?"** Fox felt the barrel of the gun smack his hand, and a yelp came from Ash's direction. The gun clattered further away while Fox lunged at Ash, trying to pin him down. Ash screamed and started flailing on the floor, hoping to get away, but Fox clocked him. With one hand he held Ash as he yelled and with the other he tore off the blindfold.

Ash's face was swelling a little where Fox had hit him and his mouth was trickling blood; Fox had managed to hit him square in the cheek, possibly knocking some teeth loose in his mouth. For the first time since he had met Ash, Fox saw fear in his eyes; true fear, fear of death. But before Fox could process that, Ash attempted to grab for the gun, triggering something in Fox:

Fury.

"**F-FOX!**" Ash screamed his name before Fox let loose on the youngster. The ordeal lasted about three or four minutes. The entire time, before he went down, Ash wailed in physical and mental pain over this new betrayal of his trust. During that, he gurgled on the blood dripping from his nose and jaw once or twice. Fox didn't spare anything- the face, the chest, even the groin; it was all worth it. He probably even broke a few of his bones and bruised a few organs; again, it felt worth it. Fox didn't even know where it came from- an animalistic feeling in him just wanted to hurt something. Ash quivered and groaned inhumanely, and went down; his blacked eyes flickered and shut for what he thought would be the last time.

Fox sat beside Ash's wheezing, but unconscious body, out of breath. He was free of his captor, and could run at any time he wished now. By the time Ash woke up, he'd be miles away.

His attention drifted over to the gun on the floor, the blaster. He calmly stood and walked over to it. In the light, the black handgun dimly shined.

_I could use this._

Fox picked it up and noticed a lot of things about the gun he didn't see before: the metallic sheen as he lifted it up, the black leather holster, and the silver engravings on the side. Next to the engravings, a logo of a fox with wings adorned the side. Fox read the words.

_James… McCloud?_

Fox's breath quickened.

…_Am… Am I James McCloud? Is Fox just a fake name that they came up with?_

Fox kept reading.

"_For peace in Lylat."_

Fox examined the gun with great curiosity- the possibilities really where endless with this gun. Fox looked over it with precious care, when suddenly a noise behind Fox made him turn around. Ash was awake, and shakily standing face to face with Fox.

"Traitor…" He rasped. Fox's face was stoic.

"I'm sorry, A-

"NO YOU'RE NOT!!! YOU'VE BEEN PLANNING THIS FROM THE START!" Ash screamed, but the energy exerted made him fall to his knees. His entire body was trembling.

"…I hate you…" He rasped. "I hate… **Fox**…" Ash couldn't manage any more before bursting into tears. Quietly sobbing, he put his face the ground and cried. Fox's face remained stoic as he listened to him cry and curse.

Fox heard him curse himself.

Fox heard him curse the world.

Fox heard him curse God.

But more than any of those, Fox heard Ash curse him. Finally, Fox had enough. He turned his back, to leave the room, and this mansion. Ash's curses were reverberating throughout the building as he walked.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

A few hours after Fox left the mansion for freedom, Ash stopped crying. He quietly and methodically stood up to make his way to the basement floor; by now blood and bruises stained all of his white fur a dark red color. He could barely see out of his eyes, they were so bruised. It hurt to move at all.

…_Fox…_

But he had to move. Or else he'd die on the spot.

_It's more than eighty miles to the nearest civilization…_

And he couldn't die now.

…_But before you reach the civilization I swear, I will KILL YOU. __I WILL KILL YOU__. _

There was work to be done.

_I don't care if I have to burn this entire planet to the ground, Fox._

With every step, Ash's blood ran colder.

_You don't want to play with me…? After all the risks I've taken for you?_

_WE WERE FRIENDS, FOX, RIGHT? RIGHT?_

Ash leaned on the doorframe and put a paw on his face, wiping away tears.

_GREAT FRIENDS…_

Ash limped towards a phone. He needed to call his brothers. A small trail of blood followed him.

_I'M… I'm done. I'm not crying anymore? …Yes. I'm done crying. I'm past that now, Fox._

_If you thought you were miserable before, just wait. I'm going to chop you up into little bits…_

Ash started laughing; thinking of how much Fox would want to play with only one arm and half of a face. The eight-year-old's uncontrollable giggles spiraled madly into bursts of manic laughter.

…_Yeah… Little bits of you, everywhere. Maybe then you'll want to play with me? _


	12. A Light Rain

_What's going to happen now that I've escaped…?_

_Where can I go? Or, more importantly, where can I run?_

_I… I need to get as far away from there as possible. I don't think Ash will be too happy the next time we meet._

_**If**__ we do meet. God, I hope I didn't actually, you know, KILL the little guy. I just wanted to escape, that's all…_

…_But still…_

* * *

_So a horse walks into a bar. The bartender orders him to leave. When the horse asks why, the bartender says "You look like an ass."_

Wolf couldn't help but smile as he thought of that one. It didn't last. It was drizzling lightly outside, but he didn't bring an umbrella or anything when he left to go to the bar; he just wore a blue sweater and some torn jeans, with a small blaster clearly holstered on his side. Leon and Panther asked if he wanted any help. He refused. It didn't seem like anything about the bar was suspicious according to some additional research done by the General- at least, nothing on the surface…

A few people walked by him, staring as they went. Ah, the perks of being a celebrity. One young girl even took a picture. Go figure.

Truth be told, this entire mission was looking a bit… Strange in Wolf's mind; but he knew everyone else in there was thinking the same things he was. At least, he knew Leon was. He never could be sure about the others. First off, it was strange that nobody saw the pup get snatched, but cameras in nearby stores show people walking by, but none of them claim to have been in that area that day. Also, their alibis are airtight; despite the camera footage, they were seen at other parts of the city when it was filmed, which leads to the obvious:

The videos are fake. All right, but then who are the people in the camera and why would someone take the time to replace all of the camera footage? And more importantly, how did they do it?

…Too many questions there. All right, then there's another matter, a bit more stressful.

The abduction seemed to follow the **exact same pattern** as the one with Fox's death.

Fox needed a drink. Bill needed a drink. Someone offered to come with them. They refused.

No cameras recorded anything weird, and nobody said they saw it happen- it was all too perfect. Then again, he couldn't rule out coincidence. It's not like these incidents are unheard of in the Lylat System…

…And the fact that both Fox and Bill were high profile figures in the military. One was going to be a general (but why'd however kidnap him do it before he actually became general?) and one was, undoubtedly, the most famous mercenary in the entire Lylat system. Perfect targets.

But not easy ones. How did they get overpowered? Hell, despite Wolf's obvious size advantage, even he couldn't win in a fistfight with Fox...

"Stop. Stop this now, before it's too late." He muttered sarcastically. Meh. It's not like death was anything new for Wolf; maybe it's just that Fox's was so unexpected. Whatever the case though, his mind usually wandered in that direction whenever he was bored, like he was now. But sometimes, it'd wander into a different direction.

…

"_Hey Wolf…"_

"…_Yeah Krystal? What is it?"_

"…"

"_Krystal? You still there?"_

…

Lost in thought, Wolf nearly walked right past the bar. It wasn't until he walked another block when he noticed. "Shit…"

Doubling back, Wolf found the raggedy place and scoffed at the decrepit wooden design. Who would ever want to come in here?

'_My Last Drink'?_

The name of the bar, in this situation, was uncomfortably ironic for Wolf. He ignored it though, heading inside. The handle on the door was a dull brass, and when Wolf opened the door, it creaked ominously. Another uncomfortable thing to think about.

As soon as he opened it, a blast of hot air greeted him, to his irritation. For God's sakes, it was still summer; a little rain like this didn't afford to break out the heater. Dipshits. It was so hot, he considered taking off the sweater and going shirtless.

…

Something's not right here…

…_Where is everybody? It's getting dark… What… WHAT THE HELL?!_

A sudden stench permeated Wolf's delicate nose, making him gag and vomit a bit. He toppled over onto his knees, covering his nose with his hands and coughing uncontrollably. It was like someone had smacked him in the face with a skunk, but worse, because it had been sitting in this vile heat. Where was it coming from? After a few moments, Wolf began to get used to the smell… He even recognized it.

Dead bodies. Bleh… But the smell of dead bodies could only mean one thing: a corpse. And by the way Wolf nearly tore his nose off, it was absolutely ripe. Where was it?

Wolf drew his blaster and clicked the safety to 'off'. This wasn't the time to take chances. Darting around, scanning carefully, he ran back and forth between the wooden tables to find the body; it wasn't in this room. Unfortunately, it looked like he'd have to use his nose. Ugh.

"Where oh where…" Wolf whispered, sniffing the air, despite how much it burned his nose. "…That way."

Wolf jumped over the bar, starting to feel himself sweat like a pig. He moved to a door behind the bar, following the scent, until it lead him across a hallway to some rickety stairs. That's when he stopped to reach into his pocket and take out a cell phone. Dialing quickly, he left a message for Krystal, and kept it short.

…

He talked in a ghostly whisper, "I'm at the bar- someone's dead. Call you back later." Wolf quietly closed the phone, hanging up.

Tip-toe, tip-toe, up the wooden stairs. Spiders moved out of the way as he went, not wanting to get crushed; this place must've been abandoned for a long while.

And it was dark inside, for whatever reason; so dark, in fact, that Wolf had turn on the thermal sensor in his artificial eye. Half the colors of the rainbow seemed to pop up, with no recognizable shape to them. Who forgot to pay the electric bill?

…Creeeeeeaaaaak….

…EEEEEeeeeeeeeeeek…

…Reeeeeeeeeeek…

Stupid wooden design; every step he took in his boots made a very loud creaking sound, to the point where it echoed off the walls. If there was an enemy, they'd hear him a mile away. Thankfully, the trip up the stairs didn't last long, so there wasn't much of a chance for anyone to ambush him. Revolving around the corners with his blaster leading him, Wolf soon found the source of the odor coming from a closed door in front of him.

"It's locked… But not for long." Wolf point the gun squarely at the hinges of the door and fired, bang bang bang, melting the only thing holding the door there. Then he moved out of the way and let it fall towards his previous position.

…

Oh… Oh God… The stench was worse now, if that was even possible. Wolf had to cover his nose to prevent himself from passing out… Wait, dead bodies don't have that affect… Or do they? Maybe this guy just didn't shower for a week or two before he died.

Wolf got out a cloth from his back pocket and shielded his nose, to peek inside. Lying a few feet from the door was the body.

It was a cougar, male, in his early 30s or late 20s. Well-built, from what Wolf could see. His head was bashed in, with brain matter and blood leaking onto his head. An eye and an ear were missing, and a big fragment of the skull was visible on the floor. Nasty way to go. Probably didn't even see it coming.

Becoming dizzy, Wolf retreated a few meters away, panting and salivating from all the heat. He gulped down the frog in his throat and got out his cell phone again. "Why hasn't she called back yet…"

…

Wolf glanced around, when he picked something up on his thermal sensor; there was someone else here, in this creepy old place, with him… In the same room as the body. Were they dead too? Why didn't Wolf see them before?

Wolf cautiously drew his blaster and moved back to the room. Peeking in, he held is nose in one hand and his blaster in the other, gripping them both tightly. Looking into the room, now that he concentrated, the entire room looked… Bouncy. Like rubber, only a bit more firm. It looked like a bounce house.

Wolf looked to the left of the room, scanning carefully, then, in the right side of the room, he saw someone lying on the ground. Wolf moved closer to the person, stepping over the cougar.

Closer and closer, one step at a time.

…

Now Wolf could almost see it's face. He could tell it was male…

Wolf used his foot to move the person's face into view. Was he dead? Wolf leaned down to check. No, he was alive. His pulse was rapid, too- like this guy had run a marathon.

"Hey, anyone there?" Wolf inquired, almost tasting the bad smells here. The guy didn't respond, so Wolf sighed and picked him up, fireman-style.

_I'm sure the General will love to talk to you…_

Wolf dragged him out of the room, down the stairs, and into the hallway, far away from that smell. Looking down, he saw a puddle had followed him when he went up there. Oh yeah. It was still raining- and he was still wet… Wolf reached in his pocket and got the cell phone again, texting a message to Leon. This time, the response was immediate. Leon wanted to know what was going on.

_Come to the bar and bring reinforcements. There's a dead guy over here too, so call the police or whoever._

Leon answered back, replying that he'd do so; then Wolf texted him another message, asking him where the others were. "Panther and Leon are investigating who might've kidnapped the dog, and Krystal and Slippy are interviewing everyone who passed by in the security footage. All right then…"

_Get here as soon as possible._

Wolf closed the cell phone, breathing softly. About a minute later, the guy next to him moaned and started to move. Wolf put a hand on his shoulder and shook it lightly. "Hey. Time to get up, you're late for school."

The man coughed and sat up, groaning and holding his head. "Very funny…"

"Yeah? Well it'll be even funnier when you're in the military holding cell."

"What're you talking about?"

Wolf sighed, remembering how much he hated people who were 'slow on the uptake'. "You're under arrest for the kidnapping of Bill H. Grey, and I guess for suspicion of committing the murder of Frank Harrison."

"…Kidnapping?" The man asked. His eyes suddenly grew wider. "Murder?! Frankie… He's dead?"

Wolf nodded and got out a pair of electromagnetic handcuffs, slipping them over the semi-conscious man's wrists. No resistance was made.

"…You're Wolf O'Donnell."

"Mm-hmm."

"So, when did the military neuter you? Recently?" The man gave Wolf a sly look, which was returned with a glare. "I'm just asking."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Wolf growled, ready to smack this guy.

"Who, me?" His beak contorted into a mocking smile. "My name's Agent. Pleasure to meet you."

* * *

Mentally, the avian was screaming. He had seen what Andrew had done to him; it was more than a little color dye and a change of clothes. More importantly though, he knew what they were planning to do with him. But how could he warn anyone like this? Even Krystal probably couldn't recognize him… But he knew that soon, people would be looking for him. It'd been a few days since he was last seen, and with what happened to Fox, and more recently Bill, they wouldn't take chances.

…But if nobody figured out what happened to him soon, people would start to die. That was certain.


	13. I thought you'd know

In a room deep within the government building where most military-related missions are assigned, standing a few feet away from the Star Fox team behind a see-through glass window was the captured Agent. He sat at the table, chained to his chair, which was bolted to the floor. Like a good prisoner. He couldn't see them watching him, but he knew they were. He could swear Krystal was looking into his thoughts as well. If that was the case, wouldn't she immediately know it was him?

But one the other side of the glass, Krystal wasn't really peering into his mind- she was too busy with her own, and the things going on around her. The tabby cat from the original debriefing was writing something in a notepad. Wolf and Leon were vocalizing their thoughts quietly. Slippy was staring at the prisoner, and Peppy was checking over what was being done. Which left Krystal, unless she shielded herself, bombarded with thoughts; without experience, she might've gotten a rather large headache.

But she was used to this sort of thing- so it wasn't too hard to close off all mental communication with everyone. It was a rare moment of peace for her. It had been awhile.

And for a few moments, she stayed that way, in total bliss, semi-oblivious what the others were doing, at least for that short span of time. She was left to daydream for a second… About how things used to be for the Star Fox team. All of the good times, and bad, when they would stick together and get the job done in order to preserve peace…

Next to her, Peppy was drilling the tabby with the notepad. "What's his name?" Peppy asked.

"He says his name is Agent, sir." The tabby cat said lightly. "A fake name?"

Peppy cleaned his glasses. "I'm not sure. Anything's possible, I suppose. But I think it would be better if we assumed the name to be fake."

"Yes sir." The tabby scribbled something down and continued to talk to the General.

"His physical body build suggests he must exercise a lot. I think he may be a mercenary, or someone else with a military-esque job, sir." The tabby's tongue flicked in and out of his mouth. "Maybe an old aficionado of Andross?"

"Maybe. Keep me posted, will you?"

"Can do, sir." The tabby responded in a nearly teasing tone. Peppy sighed, smiling. If Satchel wasn't an old friend, or a valuable asset to the Investigative branch of the military police, then he would be getting reprimanded right about now. However, Peppy couldn't help but smile as even in the gravest of situations, Satchel would keep a happy and playful mood; Peppy had seen it firsthand many times. It was infectious.

"Let's see here." Satchel looked at his notepad. "Muscular, no identifiable markings on the face or body, sunset orange feathers-"

"Sunset orange?" Peppy looked at the notepad and then back at the prisioner.

"It's a color, sir." He stated. "May I continue?"

"Yes."

"…Sunset orange feathers, brown eyes and a barcode tattoo on his stomach." Satchel turned to Peppy, frowning. "He won't tell us anything else."

"Why not?"

"No idea. But listen to this: there's no record of him, or anyone matching the description from anyone in Corneria or from the commonwealths of Corneria." Peppy started to hum under his breath.

"Hmm…"

"What is it, sir?"

"Speaking of birds… Does anyone know where Falco is?" Peppy raised his voice, turning all attention to him.

Wolf and Leon stopped talking. Leon squinted into a thoughtful glare, mind racing. Wolf saw that, and began speaking.

"I'm sure the bird is fine sir. How long has he been gone?"

Peppy shrugged and turned to Krystal. She closed her eyes in a slow blink. "When's the last time you saw him?"

"…About five days ago." Krystal started to become worried. In the midst of the mission, she had forgotten about him.

Leon looked into the glass, examining the prisoner. "So we win a bird… And lose a bird? What a… Coincidence…" Leon trailed off in thought.

"Shut it, Leon." Panther growled. "Don't start acting like you know what's going on." Leon ignored him.

_Leon?_

_Krystal…? Stay out of my head, you stupid girl! I'm trying to think!_

_Leon… That guy kidnapped Bill- we're almost sure. Do you think it's possible that Falco's been…_

Leon sighed._ Yes. I see your point…. But why? Does he want to pick you all off one by one? Heh._

The thought of Falco's body floating down a river came to mind, and made her stomach do flips. She gave Leon a look that seemed to tell him what she was thinking. "You don't think they've been killed, do you Leon?" Krystal whispered.

Leon started to blend in with the chair he was sitting in. "I don't know, Krystal. But I wouldn't put money on it."

"You want to send out a search team? Maybe a few detectives?" Wolf spoke up, which brought Krystal's attention back to the current conversation.

"It's not going to be treated as a military affair. We don't need to bring the entire Investigative team" (Satchel waved lazily) "looking for someone every time they don't turn up for a few days. We'll leave it to the police, understood? I'll call them as soon as this is over."

"That's not what you did with Fox." Peppy glared angrily at that statement, and everyone looked over to Krystal. "I suppose Falco isn't as important as he is?"

Peppy methodically walked over, until he and Krystal were only a few feet away. "You're a friend, Krystal."

"However," Peppy said icily, "I've known both Falco and Fox much longer than you ever will. If you say something like that again I will suspend you from this mission."

Krystal couldn't believe her ears. Leon couldn't believe the look one Panther's face… And Wolf's too?

"Are we clear, Krystal?"

Krystal's eyes narrowed, then she looked away. "Crystal clear, Peppy. I'm sorry I spoke out like that."

"It's all right; I understand. Now, everyone- "Peppy kept a stoic face. "Let's go meet our friend, shall we?"

* * *

…

"So I suppose this is the part where I introduce myself, huh?" Agent's beak clicked. He extended a feathered hand to Krystal from his seat, who shook it. Behind her, Peppy, Wolf and some guy he didn't know stood. The others were probably behind the glass.

"My name is Agent, miss…?"

"Krystal."

_You've got to be shitting me. Doesn't she remember me?_

_Doesn't anyone recognize me?_

Agent showed no signs of the inner turmoil. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss." Krystal didn't seem to notice anything either.


	14. Falling asleep

Running for a long time is hard. Anyone who has had to do that would know; anyone who hasn't can only imagine. This especially counts if you're running for your life-everything comes together: the sweat, the fear, and, perhaps most importantly, the adrenaline, fueling one machine bent on survival. Bent on escaping whatever dangers are pursuing them.

The machine at the moment was Fox McCloud; running barefoot in the undergrowth, rapidly dodging trees and plants that might trip him up as he goes. It had only been an hour since he had escaped the compound of the Andross brothers, and well…

...He felt great. If he had the time, Fox would've walked and taken in all of the beauties that nature that he had been withheld from him for so long. The skies were clear, birds were singing, and insects were buzzing happily as they kept to their daily routines, though not oblivious to him. As Fox passed a tree, into a large area of shade, he stopped to rest for a while under it. Yes, there was a high likelihood that he was being chased by the brothers; but he couldn't run forever- he'd collapse! It was better to pace himself. So he sat down and panted, staring up at the big blue sky.

"So… This is outside?" Fox said through breaths. "…Not bad. Not bad at all."

_I can't believe I can run so fast without stopping… Wait, why can I run so fast without having to stop? Is it the skimpy prisoner's clothing?_

That thought ran through Fox's mind for a moment, but as quick as it came it was gone. It didn't matter, anyway; the important thing was that he could do it and does it well. There was no need for him to worry… He just needed to relax for a bit…

So Fox sat for a few minutes, enjoying his surroundings; the cool shade was nice, and mosquitoes were leaving him alone for the moment. The sky was reassuring- it told him that this was all real. Not a dream, or some farfected game of Ash's- he was free. So, like a slug, he found himself moving slowly down and down, mentally and physically, until he was perfectly carefree and relaxed. Freedom tasted great; it was a taste to savor, after all.

…

…

…_But what about… Civilization?_

Fox opened his eyes, back into reality. Yes, what about civilization? Would he get a perfectly clear, non-polluted sky? And what about trees? How many trees does civilization have in its big cities and towns? A few? None?

…Was it really better to go back to civilization?

_Why __**am**__ I going back?_

"Because you have to." Fox answered his own thoughts.

…

_But… Why do I have to? And, in all reality, this planet could be nearly abandoned; me and Ash's family could be the only ones here! Is there anything to go back to? If so, what's waiting for me once I go back?_

…He couldn't think of an answer to that question. There were streams here to drink- there was food to be hunted here… Why did he have to go back to civilization? Instinct? Something he wanted to finish? Fox stood up, brushing himself off. He couldn't relax anymore, anyway. He started running again. "If I keep going, I'm bound to run into someone."

…

…

_Something isn't right here... Did I already pass that bush? That tree looked familiar…_

…

…

_Ok, what the hell._

Fox skidded to a stop. It had only been a few minutes since he started running again, and now he seemed to be running in circles around the forest.

_Am I imagining it? No… I swear I've been here before!_

Fox pulled one foot off the ground and examined it. His footpaw was bruised and dirty. There was a distinctive curve to his foot…

Then Fox looked at the ground, still on one leg. There were tracks he had made behind him… And in front of him.

_I was right… Damn it, how long I have I been going around in circles… Huh?_

There was something else he didn't see before. Other tracks.

Small shoeprints.

Ash's footprints.

…_Oh shit I'm being followed._

Fox was sure that Ash was either dead or disabled after how hard he had beaten him, and yet his footprints didn't lie. Those were Ash's shoes. He didn't waste time pondering anything else; he went into a dead sprint for dear life. Those tracks he saw weren't fresh. Ash was right behind him… Or in front of him. Fox could ram into him, and into decapitation, at anytime. Or, worse, he could be taken back to the mansion and lose his memories again.

No, fuck that. He wasn't going to allow that.

…

Fox ran and ran, not bothering to take in anymore of nature's beauty. In fact, Mother Nature made things worse for Fox- every bird song was mocking, every bush was rustling, hiding someone in wait for him to arrive. Trees were deformed and covered in thorns, and vines were trying to wrap around his ankles. And the sky was… Dark? No, that's impossible… It was light out only a second ago! What's going on?

"I just have to keep running." Fox panted. "He's six years old, how hard can it be to outrun him?"

Comforting words. They didn't help much now, though. Fox was approaching something big and green; it's shadow in the moonlight was looming above him as he stopped in front of it.

_A hedge? Could that mean… People?_

Fox glanced behind him, worried. Ash's shoeprints didn't seem to lead this way. He looked back at the hedge. Could he trust this hedge? Or was it… An evil hedge?

Fox shook his head. "Dammit, I'm losing my mind…! I have to get out of here!"

Fox took one last breath, and went through the overgrown bush.

…

_Oh._

_Oh fuuuuck._

_This is bad…_

_This is… Oh hell, this is the worst thing that could've happened._

Words couldn't describe Fox McCloud's feelings as he emerged from the hedge, only to find the Andross manor towering over him. Where did he go wrong? He had followed the sun, he had gone west!

And yet there it was. There wasn't any doubt about it; this was the place he had escaped from. He recognized it instantly. From the front gates, the shapely trees, the stone path leading to the entrance… This was it.

"Hey, Fox. Went out for a stroll?"Fox spun around to meet the voice. Ash's eyes met his.

Fox groaned. "How long have you been following me?"

Ash snickered. "I haven't been following you at all. I was just waiting here for you, Fox. You said you'd be back, right?"

"What're you talking about? I saw… I…" Fox's mind was blurring. Suddenly, he couldn't remember who's tracks he had seen. Was it just his imagination?

_Stop playing with my head_

"You and I are playing a game, Fox! You said you had to run outside to get something… Did you forget what you went to go and get? Silly Fox." Ash singsung.

"I saw your footprints… Don't tell me those lies, you little shit!"

Ash's voice was distorting. "You don't know what you saw, Fox! For all you know, you could still be in your cell!" Ash cackled, and Fox tried to remedy his increasing state of delusion.

Ash's eyes were a vivid yellow now. Fox's own eyes widened. "Who the hell are you?" He croaked. His legs were about to give out, along with his stomach. The youngster smirked.

"**I'm going to kill you Fox! Die die die die die!**" Ash laughed and laughed as his hand turned into a hunting knife. The young boy's white fur was changing color as well, morphing into an orange color. He grew fox ears and a bushy fail.

_Get out of my head_

Fox was on his knees; the moonlight was tinted an eerie red, which cast his shadow onto Ash. Except it wasn't Ash anymore. It was someone else. It was him.

Fox watched as he brought the knife down on himself, cackling loudly as he did. Fox was at his mercy, feeling the blood ooze out with every stab into his back.

"I'M GOING TO KILL ME, FOX."

_STOP IT_

"HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL, SLAVE?"

_PLeASE jUST __**STOP IT**_

"WORTHLESS!"

_AUGGH_

" **PATHETIC!"**

" YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE ANYMORE!" Ash/Fox screamed with every stab into Fox's body. Fox flailed on the ground, crying his eyes out while short work was made of him. The pain didn't stop, and neither did Ash. Praying to God didn't work here. Praying to God doesn't do anything in hell.

This didn't even make sense anymore.

…

The world faded away, as Fox was stabbed to death by his own doing. He briefly saw a mango in his mind's eye.

* * *

Fox woke up with a start, sweating a storm. The sky was dark, and the sun was setting as stars started to appear. He had slept all day… He had only meant to rest for a second, too.

_I was dreaming? Ugh… How weird._

Fox didn't stand up or anything. That was downright horrifying. And to think, he had once embraced dreams and all of that. But that dream he just had… It was different. It cemented everything he knew. If he was caught now, they'd torture him and kill him, then bury him and laugh while they did.

It was a sign. Ash wasn't himself anymore. The person he knew was gone…

And it was all his fault.


	15. Dark Inside

_Round buildings are strange. Maybe it's just this one in particular, but for some reason it's really bizarre; one hallway lines the inside of the building, except for the entrance room on the top floor. Every time the hallway reaches the end, stairs are there to take you to another floor, upwards or downwards. It continues on and on like that, for about 15 or 16 floors, going a long ways under and aboveground, until the hallway ends. _

"It's a chore to have to go down 10 floors every time they want to question me, so they put me in this game room with a big window, and guards stationed at the door." Agent answered Krystal's cry. She glared at him, and forced herself to relax as she replied. "That's bullshit. They're getting cocky."

"We're 3 stories off the ground. Besides, it's not like I've tried to escape." Agent pointed out, entertaining himself.

"I don't like taking chances." Krystal sat down across from Agent, not taking her eyes off of him.

"So I've noticed." His eyes met hers, then he turned his face to the skyscrapers outside, hiding a smirk from her. She caught it anyway, but didn't dignify him with a response. She looked out the window too. It was sunny this afternoon, a good change of pace from the unusually rainy summer they've been having. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"It's really dark outside today, huh? More so than usual." The words Krystal spoke echoed through the room. Agent nodded, understanding.

Slippy scratched his head. "I dunno what you guys are talking about, Krystal. It's a great day today!" Slippy pointed at the window.

"See? Great. Day."

Agent's eyes went back to Krystal. Her expression had changed into one of boredom. "There are different kinds of darkness, Slippy. You wouldn't really understand."

"What do you mean? Is it something to do with your telekinesis and stuff, Krystal?" Slippy pondered, looking over at Agent. "But wait- you're not psychic! That can't be it! So what am I missing here?"

Agent waited for a response, but there wasn't one. Krystal was silent, much to Slippy's dismay. He didn't know why she was keeping Slippy out of whatever loop that was just created; it's not like Slippy was the one who had kidnapped a military official here. Agent sighed and stood up, making the metal chair legs squeak against the linoleum floor. Krystal and Slippy's attention went to him.

_It's time._

"I have a question for you, Krystal." Agent's tone had a subtle hint of malice to it. In the depths of his consciousness, Falco knew what he was going to ask, but was afraid of the consequences. Agent put both palms on the table. Krystal still looked bored.

"What is it?" She asked, masking emotion.

Agent nearly cracked a smile. "I want to know if you know. If you don't know what to know then I know to tell you what I… Know."

Krystal raised an eyebrow comically. "No, I don't know. What should I know that I don't know that you know?"

"STOP IT MY HEAD HURTS" Slippy yelled, grasping his forhead.

Agent smiled, mouthing something. Krystal wasn't fazed.

"What did you say? I didn't catch that."

Agent mouthed something again, this time emphasizing the words. Krystal was getting irritated. "I'm tired of this already! Spit it out!" She stood up from her chair, eye to eye with Agent. He was gleeful, in a… Sad… Way? Krystal checked again, her own eyes narrowing as she gazed into Agent's eyes. She wasn't wrong. Agent was regretful; but why?

"-right?"

Her ears suddenly caught the last part of a distinct whisper. She shook her head, snapping out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry? Say it one more time.

Agent kept up whatever ruse he was attempting. "You can tell if what I'm saying is the truth, right? Using telepathy or some shit?"

Krystal didn't understand why he needed to whisper. "Uh, yes. Why?"

Agent's face turned red. "THEN TELL ME, KRYSTAL," He yelled, sounding more than a bit angry. "IF THE NEXT THING I SAY IS THE TRUTH OR NOT." He pointed at Krystal, who batted his hand out of her face.

"Fuck off, stop being so dramatic!" Krystal stated, letting Agent's rage (Or was it enthusiasm?) seep in her. "Just tell me whatever it is you want to tell me.

Agent grinned. "Tell me then, if this is the truth:

**I've never set foot in the bar where Wolf found me.**"

Krystal blinked, not believing what she had seen. She was never wrong. He had locked eyes with him and gazed into his inner eye. But what he said… It's impossible! It was a conundrum! If Wolf found him there, then he had to have set foot in there!

"Well, I'm waiting." Agent rapped her on the head, knocking her backwards, into her chair.

"HEY!" Slippy pushed him away from Krystal, who was boggled. Agent landed on his rear, laughing as he talked. "Well well, your face says it all! I'm being truthful aren't I?"

Krystal looked down at him and felt the part of her head where Agent had hit her. "…No…" Krystal stood up in utter disbelief. "You're pulling some weird trick on me!"

Agent looked her in the eye again. "**I'd never do that.**"

A chair smacked him in the face, and it was all a blur from there. Agent covered himself with his arms as the chair he had sat in was being used as a deadly weapon; Krystal was screaming some obscenities, and the guards were being rushed in to help Slippy stop her from harming him. Honestly, he didn't think Krystal would lose her cool so fast. And yet there they were.

_How the hell did we go from discussing how the day looked to me being beaten with a chair again?_

It was over before anyone knew it. Agent was covered in scratches and bruises, and besides that only suffered a small concussion and a broken beak. Krystal was physically unharmed, but was mentally a bit unhinged- all according to plan.

He was still conscious as Krystal was being pulled away. Their eyes met one last time as Agent smiled through a broken beak, mouthing the same thing he had whispered to her after what he said, as much as he could as fast as he could: "**Fox McCloud is dead.**" Krystal angrily, but quietly, took the mental abuse as she was dragged out.

But that wasn't the last thing he silently said. Right before she lost his gaze, Krystal swore she saw something else.

"**...The… Wine?**" She repeated what she saw, still in disbelief, as she was dragged away from Agent. (Or… Falco?) For what may have just been their final meeting; Krystal would need to carefully explain what had just happened to everyone, including Peppy.

…But… What about the wine?


End file.
